William B. Buck

ST. ALBANS - William Boyd Buck, age 85, went home to Jesus on Thursday, October 18, 2018, at his home in Saint Albans, surrounded by family.

He was born near Auxvasse, Missouri, on May 17, 1933, to the late James & Ruth (Clemans) Buck. William was the middle of three children and was raised on a small farm in the Ozark Hills near Branson, Missouri.

William graduated with a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from University of Missouri, Columbia, in 1956. He became a professor of veterinary toxicology at Iowa State University and Mississippi State University, and professor emeritus at University of Illinois. William developed Veterinary Toxicology programs at two major universities during his career. His legacy is the National Animal Poison Control Center, now known as the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, developed at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana.

Williams book, The Barefoot Professor, supplies readers with stories of his Ozark childhood, family life and fatherhood, medical challenges, veterinary research discovery and toxicology cases, entrepreneurial adventures, views on religion and politics, and international travels with wife and soulmate Marie.

William is survived by his wife, Louise Marie Cote, originally from Quebec, now residing in Saint Albans; his children, Paula (Chris) Overholtzer of Yacolt, WA, Pam (Martin) Guillaume of Rush City, MN, Kevin (Denise) Buck of Shelton, WA, Renee (Frank) Bleyer of Chesterfield, MO, Paul (Ellen) Buck of Cambridge, MN, and Ben Buck of Springfield, MO; his former wife, Reva Whorton Buck of Yacolt, WA; 17 grandchildren and ten great grandchildren; his brother Dwight (Vestle) Buck of Sacramento, CA; his sister Thelia (Thayer) Nightingale of Kirkland, AZ; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. William was predeceased by his parents and one great-granddaughter.

A funeral service will be held on Sunday, October 21, 2018, at 1:00 p.m. at Church of the Rock, 1091 Fairfax Road, Saint Albans. Visitation will be held on Sunday from 12:00 p.m. until the hour of the service.

Interment will be on Saturday, October 27, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. at Grandview Memorial Gardens in Champaign, Illinois.

For those who wish, in lieu of flowers, donations in Williams memory may be made to CarePartners Adult Day Center, 34 Franklin Park W, Saint Albans, VT 05478.

Condolences, photos, and favorite memories may be shared through www.gossfs.com