George L. Buckland Jr., 58, of Fogelsville, died peacefully Aug. 20, 2022, at home.

He and his wife, Beth (Grady) Buckland, were married 28 years in July.

Born in Savannah, Ga., he was a son of the late George and Mary (Bright) Buckland Sr.

He grew up in Staunton, Va. and enlisted in the Marine Corps after high school.

He worked for many years at the ALPO plant, South Whitehall, and received both his Associate and Bachelor’s degrees while working full time.

His greatest joy in life was supporting his two children, Katrina and Sam, in all of their academic and extracurricular activities.

He was so proud of both of them.

He loved to cook, especially large cuts of meat in his smoker and anything involving excessive amounts of garlic and very hot peppers.

He was up for road trips at a moment’s notice, whether to an MLB playoff game in Toronto or driving an hour into another state for the love of a good hot dog.

He also appreciated the simple life: coming home from work, grabbing a bag of Martin’s barbecue potato chips, and sitting in his recliner with his beloved dog, Maisy, between his legs while watching Jeopardy.

For a man of few words, one could always count on him for a witty one liner or impossibly cheesy dad joke.

He was humble and lived life with an unmatched work ethic, proving hard work does pay off.

He continued to demonstrate this in all aspects of life, whether at work, at home with his kids, or on the field while coaching baseball.

He didn’t preach life lessons, rather he lived them. He showed up, consistently, and led by the greatest of examples.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by children Katrina and Sam, all of Fogelsville; siblings Virginia Turner, Harry Buckland, Donna Campbell, Donald Buckland and Dottie Roberson (Jeff), all of Virginia, and Jodi Brelsford of South Carolina; stepbrothers Roger and Rex Frye of Virginia; many nieces and nephews; and his pit-mix recliner buddy, Maisy, who never failed to put a smile on his face.

He was predeceased by his sister Shirley Haddock (Glen).

Condolences may be offered to the family at kellerfuneralhomes.com.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Lehigh County Humane Society (where Maisy was adopted), Lehigh Valley Hospice or to a veterans charity of one’s choice c/o the funeral home, P.O. Box 52, Fogelsville, PA 18051.

He leaves everyone with driving advice he gave us all whenever we left the house: Watch the deer!

Arrangements made by Keller Funeral Homes, Fogelsville.