Leigh Michelle Buckley (34) went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Sunday, June 21, 2009 at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA following a courageous battle with leukemia. Leigh was born in Edina, MN on March 3, 1975. She subsequently lived in Spokane, WA where she attended Mead High School, participating in track and cross country. Leigh attended the University of Washington in Seattle, was active in the University Christian Union, and graduated with a degree in education. She married Andrew Buckley in 1997 and lived in San Jose, CA. In 2000, Andrew took a position with Cisco Systems and the family moved to Derry, NH. Leigh taught French at Timberlane Regional High School until the birth of her daughter Julia in 2004. Her daughter Clara was born in 2006. The Buckleys are members of Calvary Bible Church in Derry.
Leigh took great joy in living life to the fullest, impacting the lives of others, having fun, and passing those values on to her children. Upon being diagnosed with P-positive lymphoblastic leukemia in January of 2007, she partnered with Calvary Bible Church and the National Bone Marrow Registry to launch a bone marrow drive that added over 1000 names to the Bone Marrow Donor Registry. Two popular YouTube videos chronicle her journey, one of which includes lyrics written by Leigh: "Lord Jesus, I am in Your arms and I am safe there." She often said, "Either way - if I live or die - I know that I'll be healed."
Leigh is survived by her husband Andrew Buckley and her daughters Julia and Clara of Derry. She is also survived by her parents Al and Sharon Robinson of Spokane, WA, her brother Ken Robinson of Mill Creek, WA and her sister Kathleen Sperling of San Diego, CA.
A memorial service will be held at 12:00 noon on Thursday, June 25th in the Calvary Bible Church Auditorium, 145 Hampstead Rd., Derry. An additional memorial service will also be held in Spokane, WA at Northview Bible Church. Burial will be in the Riverside Cemetery, Spokane. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Donor Services, P.O. Box 4072, Pittsfield, MA 01202 or see LLS.org.