On April 18th, 2024, Mary Duffy Buchko, age 99, died peacefully at Moravian King's Daughters Home, where she resided in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt. She will be deeply missed.

Born in Dalkeith, Scotland, Mary emigrated to the U.S. as a young child with her infant sister and her mother, Joan Downie Duffy, of Midlothian. They came through Ellis Island and were met by her father, Patrick Duffy, who was born and raised in County Donegal, Ireland. Mary was reared in New York City, the eldest of five. As a teenager she won medals in Irish dancing. She also delighted in joining friends at the Copacabana for evenings of rumba and samba, when she wasn't at work or in school. She was exceedingly proud of her Celtic heritage. All her life she loved New York, to her the greatest city in the world, in what she passionately believed to be the greatest country in the world.

Mary graduated high school from St. Patrick's Cathedral School for Girls with the high honors that characterized all her educational endeavors. At the end of WWII, she worked for the U.S. Army first as an accountant, then as a staff writer, in Okinawa, Japan. It was on the ship from San Francisco to Okinawa that she met her future husband, Frank Buchko, to whom she was happily married for 67 years and with whom she brought up their three children.

When her youngest started school, Mary began college, ultimately attaining a master's degree in education from Michigan State University. She was a member of Phi Kappa Phi and the recipient of full academic scholarships and fellowships. Mary subsequently taught middle school at Holy Trinity School in Fowler, Michigan, until she and her husband retired to Sparks, Nevada, where they enjoyed the sunny weather, day trips, and being close to their son Mark and his wife Suzie, and to Mary's sisters and relatives. Mary's dry wit was reflected in sayings such as "Don't make a fuss and don't leave a mess." She was an ardent reader with prodigious knowledge of literature and history, including her own family's genealogy. She enjoyed and was proficient in French, Latin, and Spanish, as well as some Gaelic, which was spoken in the home by her parents.

Mary was preceded in death by her husband Frank Buchko, her daughter-in-law, Suzie (Kim Chung Sook) Buchko, her son Michael Buchko, and her sisters Kathleen Duffy Meadows and Rose Duffy Milando. She is survived by her son Mark Buchko, her daughter Margaret (Marc) Chase; her granddaughters Dr. Mikaela Chase and Samantha (Eric Goldberg) Chase, by her sister Joanne Mongan, brother Charles Duffy, and by cousins, nieces, and nephews.

She was contemplative and determined, compassionate and practical. Among the last thoughts Mary expressed were "I don't believe we're here simply by chance. We're here to become the best humans we can."

Memorial masses will be held on May 22nd at 9am at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Reno, Nevada, and on June 11th at 7am at St. Anne's Catholic Church in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In lieu of flowers, donations honoring the memory of Mary Duffy Buchko may be made to Moravian King's Daughters Home (www.mkdshome.com) and to The Arc of Lehigh and Northampton Counties (https:arcoflehighnorthampton.org).