Brent Henry Buckingham ’97

Brent Henry Buckingham of Eaton Rapids, Michigan, passed away on June 4, 2016 at age 41. He was born in Eaton Rapids, on December 31, 1974.

Brent graduated from Eaton Rapids High School in 1993 and received a BA from Hope College in 1997. He was a beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend to many. Brent had numerous talents and a love for sports and his family’s farm. During his youth he played soccer and traveled with his team to Denmark. He was active in 4-H and showed beef cattle each summer at the Ingham County Fair. In high school he was a member of the football, baseball, and wrestling teams. In 1993, his wrestling team won the State Championships and Brent wrestled as the heavyweight, which was remarkable given his gentle and kind demeanor. At Hope College, he was a defensive lineman for the Flying Dutchmen football team.

After graduation, Brent worked as a crop adjuster and farmed. Brent loved to spend time with his family and traveled frequently to visit his sister’s family, where her dogs greeted him with great joy given the long walks he would take with them. He was a loving and caring uncle to his nieces and nephews, who often referred to him as their favorite uncle as he would throw the football with them for hours on end. Brent will be sorely missed by all those who were fortunate to know him. Preceding him in death were his grandparents, Henry and Margery Buckingham and Eleanor Kneller.

Brent is survived by his parents, Roy and Carolyn (Kneller) Buckingham of Eaton Rapids; and two siblings, his brother JP ’99 (Jennifer) of Eaton Rapids and his sister Trudy Buckingham Pendergraft of Chapel Hill, NC; grandfather, Frank Kneller; nieces and nephews, Camryn and Carter Buckingham, and Isaac, Luke and Eleri Pendergraft; aunts and uncles, Barbara and Ron Ried of Mason and Dan and Sandy Kneller of Northville, and many cousins.