FALL 2025
Heritage Circle Member Anita Buckeye If you ever meet Anita Buckeye, you’ll remember her genuine smile and engaging sense of humor, and perhaps her distinctive last name. I recall these fondly from my first time meeting with her over lunch several years ago. We talked about her and her late husband’s memories of attending the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s Members’ Day, their favorite places in the area and her reasons for becoming a Heritage Circle and Leadership Circle member. Anita and Joe (“Butch”) grew up in Rostraver Township and lived their entire married life of 51 years not far from their childhood homes. Anita and her beloved After graduating late husband, Butch. from high school, Anita worked for an engineering firm and Butch was a steelworker. In their downtime, they took trips to Colonial Williamsburg and a few other spots, but mostly enjoyed staying in Western Pennsylvania. One of their favorite places for overnight trips was at a camp near Cook Forest State Park that was owned by Anita’s brothers. “My brothers would stay on the weekends, so Butch and I went up during the week. He enjoyed fishing on the nearby Clarion River, and I enjoyed being with him. I also enjoyed reading beside the river,” Anita says. Butch was aware of the Conservancy’s work because of his love of the outdoors, long before they became members in 1979. Anita and Butch also spent many days at the Conservancy’s Bear Run Nature Reserve in the Laurel Highlands. They enjoyed hiking through the Reserve, even if they
invested (and perhaps got a little lucky with investments). I’m happy I can support the work that was so meaningful to Butch and still is to me.”
Anita funded a bench along a trail in Bear Run Nature Reserve. The plaque reads “In memory of Joseph “Butch” Buckeye, a gentle man who loved the outdoors.”
In doing so, she honors her husband, celebrates the life they built together, and creates a lasting legacy that will protect the region’s natural beauty and outdoor spaces well into the future. – Julie Holmes, Senior Director of Development
sometimes lost their way. In fact, Anita recently funded a bench in memory of her husband that sits on an overlapping section of the Red and Black loops overlooking Bear Run stream and the surrounding native rhododendron and mountain laurel. The bench will provide a nice spot to rest for others who may find themselves farther away from the parking lot than planned. Anita and Butch attended our Members’ Day and Annual Meeting regularly, often with friends who were also WPC members. She has great memories of seeing people that she only sees at Members’ Day as well as enjoying the guided bird walks. She’s attended in recent years and is happy to see how popular the event has become. Several years ago, Anita took the thoughtful step of including the Conservancy in her estate plans, ensuring her commitment to conservation will continue for generations to come. Her legacy gift, in addition to her annual gifts during her lifetime, will support our conservation work in the Clarion River watershed as well as at Bear Run Nature Reserve. Anita is happy to make this impactful gift and shared, “Butch and I both grew up poor. We worked hard, lived frugally and
Anita’s bequest will support conservation work at Bear Run Nature Reserve and in the Clarion River watershed.