John Tobin Buckley of Vero Beach, FL and Hingham MA, passed away peacefully on October 26, 2025 after a courageous battle with cancer. Born in Boston on November 12, 1946, John was the oldest son of Anna and John L. Buckley. He is survived by his beloved wife of 57 years, Diane (Ferioli). Buckley. Right up to his last hours Diane’s love and steadiness carried John through; she never left his side. In addition to Diane, he is survived by their children Kristen Denker (spouse Brian Denker) and John Buckley, (spouse Katherine Wright Buckley) and their grandchildren Tobin, Guy and Bay Buckley and Jack, Charlie and Will Denker. He is also survived by his brothers Larry, Richard and Kevin as well several nieces and nephews. He was pre-deceased by his nephew Deane Buckley.
John graduated from Sacred Heart Elementary School and Catholic Memorial High School. He received his B.S. from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College and subsequently completed the Amos Tuck Executive Education program at Dartmouth College. John joined Lybrand, Ross Bros. & Montgomery (now PricewaterhouseCoopers / PwC) in 1968 where he practiced as a CPA for 34 years. In 1979 he was admitted as a Partner in the firm. John had a long and successful career at PwC retiring in 2002. He spent most of his career in PwC’s Boston Office but was also a technical consulting partner in New York at the firm’s National Office for several years. He also served in the National Guard Army Corps of Engineers from 1968 through 1974.
John and Diane raised their children in Hingham but also resided in Vero Beach, FL, Boise, ID and Stamford, CT. They spent 15 years wintering in Idaho and helping to raise grandsons Jack, Charlie and Will Denker. He always enjoyed spending time with their six grandchildren. Whether it was sailing, fishing, hunting or just being with them it brought him such joy. He loved sharing stories about the many adventures they each had.
John retired at 55 and proceeded to pursue boundless adventures of his own. He was very athletic. He played soccer while a student at Boston College. At 40 he ran a marathon. He loved riding and driving anything with wheels. He traveled through Italy and New Zealand on a motorcycle. He enjoyed boating, fishing, hunting, shooting, golf and skiing. He was an avid sailor whether it was racing or cruising. He enjoyed cars, really great cars. He built his own MGA from a salvaged carcass at an early age. Later he owned several Porsches and was always tinkering with them to improve their performance. He loved driving them and even better racing them. John did nothing halfway. Whether it was a technical issue or figuring out how to fix something, if it was worth doing, he mastered it. He was active in many different clubs like the Hingham Yacht Club, Cohasset Golf Club, the Porsche Club of America, the Vintage Sports Car Club of America and the Vero Beach Yacht Club. John truly lived his life as an adventurer.
In John’s own words “he was hard to like but worthwhile knowing”. Indeed, his absence will be deeply felt by his family and countless friends.
Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in John’s name to the Norwell Visiting Nurse Association at www.nvna.org or to the Catholic Memorial School 235 Baker St West Roxbury, MA 02132. Catholic Memorial is a Catholic, all-boys, college prepatory school in West Roxbury committed to forming young men of intellect, courage, and character. For questions regarding your donation to the Catholic Memorial School please contact Joe Bradley, Vice President for Institutional Advancement at 617-469-8057. For more information and online guestbook go to www.downingchapel.com