Harold Dean Buckner

Harold “Dean” Buckner, 86, passed away Sunday, August 9, 2020 at his home in Nederland, Texas. He was born February 4, 1934, in Port Arthur, Texas to Grady and Macel Buckner.

Dean graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School where he was a member of the baseball team. He met the love of his life, Patricia Ann Monk, when she was a junior at Thomas Jefferson and they married June 8, 1954, just after her graduation. The celebrated their sixty-sixth wedding anniversary this year.

Dean loved music especially gospel quartet music. He also loved cars, trucks, and chocolate, preferably Oreos. He taught himself to play the piano his junior and senior years of high school. He could hear a song a few times then sit and play it pretty close to the original. Roger Williams was among his favorites. Dean played the guitar and sang baritone in the church choir. He was a choir director at Seventh Street Baptist Church for many years in the 70’s and 80’s. The whole family is very musical. His wife, Pat, has a beautiful soprano voice and many times he would accompany her solos at church on the piano. He loved his church family and enjoyed going to hear Brother Mark Humble preach.

Dean was an avid reader. Upon receiving the World Book Encyclopedias, he read every single one of them, front to back. He read both city newspapers, Port Arthur News and Beaumont Enterprise, every day. “Lonesome Dove” and “Sargent York” were at the top of his movie list. He liked to watch just about anything western, especially since retirement.

In the late 50’s, Dean taught himself to tune pianos through a correspondence course. He practiced on pianos and store models until he felt ready to promote his services. He tuned pianos part time and worked full-time at Texaco Chemical in Port Neches until he retired at age fifty-five. After retirement in 1989, he made tuning and servicing pianos his full-time job. He kept growing “H. D. Buckner Piano Tuning and Service” through quality workmanship and word of mouth. Dean never really advertised. He had enough business to keep him busy all the time. He had to take weeks off tuning to be able to work on rebuilding pianos for customers. He retired from tuning and rebuilding pianos in 2015 after over sixty years. He was always happy and at home sitting at a piano.

Survivors include his wife, Patricia; daughters, Terri Buckner and Lynne Buckner; grandson, Dean Carl Denby and his wife, Yuuri; and nephew, Jimmy Holder and his wife, Suzanne.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Grady and Macel; sister, Jacqueline Holder; and niece, Shannon Gann.

Due to COVID-19, there will be no service at this time. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 42040, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73123; or to Faith Baptist Temple in Port Neches, P.O. Box 1652, Nederland, Texas 77627.