Madeline "Madge" Buck

Madeline (Madge) Buck

Madeline Buck of Penticton, a former motel owner and elementary school secretary, exercise fanatic, world traveler, mother of two and grandmother of three, died April 12 at Haven Hill Care Center. She was 92.  Born in Timmins, Ontario, as Madeline Medve, she adopted the nickname Madge.  She was the daughter of Hungarian immigrants. Her father, a gold miner during the depression, died young of silicosis from the mines. Her mother Elizabeth Medve (aka Granny), began running hotels with bars and restaurants for mining clientele in Northern Ontario – despite having only a few words of English and thanks to the help of her kids.  In 1946, Madge married Bert Wesley Buck, a handsome soldier returning from the battlefields of Normandy and Holland in World War II. The young couple built and operated a series of hotels in Ontario until 1964, with Granny now following them.  When they moved to Penticton their first project was buying and running the modest Valley Star Motel on Skaha Lake Road.  A decade later, Madge and Bert moved to the West Bench. A top student in College and typist of exceptional speed and accuracy, Madge went to work at the Penticton Family Judicial Centre as a court reporter. She found the divorce and custody battles depressing and decided to apply her formidable administrative skills to a more positive outlet as the school secretary at Uplands and West Bench schools from 1973 to 1991. She thrived in the school communities, helping teachers and administrators in their efforts to prepare the city’s next generation. After Bert passed away in 1997, Madge toured the world, on cruise liners and otherwise with various gal friends, visiting Australia, Antarctica, Jerusalem, Panama, Fiji and other places. Her favorite destination was Hawaii, where she returned year after year with dear friends Beatrice Miller and Joan and Ian Luckhart. Known for her energy, and discipline, Madge rode her bike throughout town, did yoga and participated in fitness classes well into her 80s. She frequently visited daughter Nancy in California until her mid-80s, when her health declined after battling and vanquishing two types of cancer. She lived independently until age 91, with the help of her attentive son Kevin Buck, and daughter-in-law Louise and Nancy. In the summer of 2018, she realized she needed more help and moved into Haven Hill Retirement Centre.  The caring and capable Haven Hill team cared for her until she passed away quietly watching TV.  Besides her daughter Nancy, son Kevin and daughter-in-law Louise, Madge is survived by Nancy’s husband Ken Weiss, and granddaughters Lauren, Samantha, and Rebbecca Buck and her partner Garrett Shannon and great-granddaughter Amelia Mae Shannon. A celebration of life will be held the evening of May 12 in Penticton. Please contact Nancy Baron at baron@nceas.ucsb.edu  or 805-450-3158 for details. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the SS Sicamous Heritage Society.