Obituary of Floyd W Quincy

Floyd W. “Buck” Quincy, of Iola, Kansas, aged 83, died on September 21, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona, after a 14-year battle with lymphoma. He did not lose this battle. He fought it at every turn and was by far the better looking one after the fight.

Buck was born on July 14, 1935, in Pawnee Rock, Kansas, to Floyd W. and Emma Quincy.  He was the only boy in the family, and so was very spoiled by his older sister LaVonne (Bartlett) and his younger sisters Shirley Kay and Emma Lou.  He was extremely close to his maternal grandparents and lovingly spoke of them throughout his life.  He grew up hunting and fishing, loves he continued through his life and shared with his sons and grandsons.

Buck had a real sweet tooth.  When he was 3, there was a candy bar called a Buck-a-Roo.  It was a foot long.  He would eat an entire bar in one sitting, earning him the nickname Buck-a-Roo, which later became Buck.

Buck was a beautiful man and a graceful athlete.  He excelled at every sport he tried.  He was recruited by Larned High School and played his high school days there.  Buck graduated from Emporia State University (Kansas Teacher’s College at the time) with an education degree (He later got a master’s degree.) He played basketball at Emporia and was the star of the team, though you would never have heard that from him. Many of his closest friends were teammates or classmates from this time in his life.

Buck did a brief stint in the Army – where he got his paratroopers certification the hard way.  While learning to parachute, he often grabbed a parachute which he believed had been cheerfully decorated with colorful pieces of cloth to raise the spirits of the soldiers.  As he was sitting in the plane, about ready to jump, one of his fellow soldiers asked him if knew what the colorful cloth stood for.  Buck indicated that he did not.  The colleague filled him in that those were parachutes that had holes in them so had been patched.  It was a long ride down that day. 

Buck taught school and coached in Troy, Kansas.  His sister Lavonne was living and teaching in Topeka, and knew Dixie Brown.  Lavonne thought they would be a good match and set them up on a blind date.  Buck and Dixie met shortly before Thanksgiving, 1959.  Less than three months later, on February 6, 1960, Buck married the love of his life.  In going through Dixie’s things after she passed away, she had kept all the love letters he had written to her before they were married.

Buck and Dixie soon moved to Iola, Kansas, where they made their home and started a family. In October 1964, they welcomed the first of their four children Gretchen.   In December 1965, Stephanie joined the family.  Chris came along in December 1969 and Greg in October 1972.

Buck and Dixie became fixtures in Iola, both teaching and coaching.  Buck was known for his booming voice, sense of humor and expectation that everyone would give their best at all times. He was a hulking man, but most people knew he was really a marshmallow.  While every team he ever coached was his “favorite”, his 1975-76 Iola High School men’s basketball team created memories that last to this day.  He coached football, basketball and golf.

When Gretchen and Stephanie were in Junior High, Buck and Ray Houser came out of “retirement” to coach the 8th and 9th grade girls’ basketball teams.  Buck was certain this would be an easy task and he had a lot to teach the girls. He later admitted that in fact he learned more about patience than anything he taught the girls.  In the first game he coached, his team lost 16-4, with all 4 points coming from free throws by Michelle Minihan.

Buck was “elected” to the school board when his daughter Gretchen waged a top secret write in campaign for an open seat.  While he first professed unhappiness with this turn of events, he quickly took to the idea and threw himself into the role.  Buck and Dixie together attended every school board meeting and every decision he made was based only on the school kids’ best interests. He spent nearly 20 years on the Board after he had spent 40 teaching.

Buck was blessed with seven grandchildren.  Gretchen had Brittney, Nicholas and Matthew (with her husband Gerald Jacobs).  Stephanie has Mitchell and Jillian (with former husband Martin Crist).  Greg has Jordan and Justin (with his wife Andrea Nelson Quincy).  Gretchen died suddenly in 2005, and Buck and Dixie helped raise Brittney, Nicholas and Matthew who shared an incredibly close bond with their grandfather and were with him in his final days.

Buck has lots of people with him on the other side including Dixie who died on January 9, 2018, his beloved daughter Gretchen, his sisters Shirley Kay and Emma Lou, and many other family members and close friends.

Buck is survived by: his daughter Stephanie whose husband, Dr. Robert Groves, was loved by Buck as a son, and he loved Buck right back the same way; Stephanie’s children Mitchell and Jillian Crist; son-in-law Gerald Jacobs (Gretchen’s husband) and their children Brittney (Hays, KS), Nicholas (El Paso, TX) and Matthew (Pittsburg, KS); Buck’s son Chris (Kansas City); and Buck’s son Greg and his wife Andrea (Eldon, MO) and their children Jordan and Justin.  He is also survived by his sister LaVonne Bartlett (husband Brad) and his nieces Shannon Bartlett (and her wife Lisa Smith of Columbus, Ohio) and nephew Garrett Green and niece Kim Green.

The family will greet friends from 6:00 - 8:00 P.M., Thursday, September 27, 2018, at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service, 1883 US Hwy. 54, Iola, Kansas.  A funeral service for Buck will be held at 2:00 P.M., Friday, September 28, 2018, at the funeral home.  Burial will follow at Highland Cemetery in Iola. The family is hosting a happy hour to toast Buck and see him off at the Allen County Country Club for friends and family after the interment on Friday - all are welcome. Memorials are suggested to “USD 257 – Fund to Fix the Stadium, Donna Houser” and may be left with the funeral home.  Condolences may be left at www.feuerbornfuneral.com.