Halleck Burkett “Buck” Warren, Jr.

Halleck Burkett Warren, Jr. passed away peacefully to be with God and loved ones in heaven on Feb. 24th, 2016. He was born on Sept. 3, 1922 in St. Louis, MO to Dr. H.B Warren and Lola Edna Kuehne Warren. Halleck, or "Buck" as many of his family and friends called him, grew up in Breese, Illinois where his father was a small town doctor and his mother was a nurse. His mother became a full time mother to Buck and his younger brother, Bill, until her premature death from breast cancer when the boys were very young. Growing up in southern Illinois, Buck developed a life-long love of hunting, fishing, baseball, bike riding, golf and, of course, a number of dear friends. His intelligence, curiosity and occasional lack of supervision provided a rich resource of childhood story material over the years.

After graduating from high school in 1940, Buck attended St. Louis University, receiving his undergraduate degree in biology before enlisting in the Navy and serving his country until 1946 when he was honorably discharged as a Lieutenant JG. While finishing his doctorate degree in bacteriology, Buck met the love of his life, Miriam (Mimi, as Buck called her) Rector, who was his partner for 64 years of marriage before her passing this past November.

Buck and Miriam began their life together in Waukegan, Illinois - close to his work at Abbott Laboratories. Their three children, John, Mary Beth and Nancy, were all born in Waukegan. Eventually, Buck's work took the family back to his southern Illinois roots where he took a food research and development position at the Pet Milk Company in Greenville, Illinois. Buck was a caring, involved father and was always willing to include his children in every aspect of his life. He and Mimi shared a love of learning and travel - providing wonderful experiences for their family and much enjoyment later in life. They also joined together to nurture and care for their special little girl, Mary Beth - accepting difficulties, with love, and giving her a longer life that originally expected.

Although there were several company changes throughout the years, taking the family from Greenville to Omaha and then later to Overland Park, Buck always took the same values wherever he went. His love of family, friends and church community, his sense of humor and a positive outlook stayed with him to his very last days. He always enjoyed trying new things….woodworking, photography and wine making were some of the hobbies he explored. He hunted, fished, jogged, water skied, played tennis, golfed and biked for as long as his stamina and knees allowed. The bike was finally retired when he was 91, after a shoulder injury made it too difficult to ride.

Buck was also a wonderful grandfather and expressed his interest and love to his "grand-girls" always. Mimi and Buck loved to provide experiences for them - even taking their three granddaughters to Disney World on their own for a special trip together. He especially delighted in being able to live long enough to enjoy great-grandchildren Sam, Noah, Eli and Burk. All of the children were the apple of his eye!

Buck was preceded in death by his parents, Halleck Burkett Warren, Sr. and Lola Edna Warren, daughter & little angel, Mary Elizabeth Warren, beloved son, John Creely Warren and brother, William Wallace Warren. He is survived by daughter, Nancy Beck Pagel, daughter-in-law, Kelcie Warren, grand-daughters, Amy (Travis) Myers, Paige (Matt) Reid, Rachel (Brad) Wallace and five great-grandchildren - Sam, Noah, Eli, Liam, Leilah and Burk. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to Overland Park Christian Church or Catholic Community Hospice. Thank you, Dad, Grandpa, Great Pa-Pa - well done! We all love you so much and it will be hard to imagine life without you here with us. We will all hold you close in our hearts until we meet again.

A memorial service is set for 1:00 p.m. Saturday, March 5 at Overland Park Christian Church, 7600 W. 75th St., Overland Park, KS 66204 with a visiting time and light luncheon immediately following. Special thanks to Santa Marta Retirement Community, especially the Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living staff for their loving care and assistance for both Buck and Miriam over the years