Buddy L Tackett

                  LAVERY CHARTRAND ALARIO FUNERAL HOME

                                    99 SUMMER ST. FITCHBURG, MA                 

                                                        Obituary

Fitchburg:  Buddy L. Tackett, 74 of Fitchburg, MA passed away peacefully Saturday, December 26,2020 in UMass Memorial Hospital – Leominster, MA with his family at his side.

Buddy was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at the Tinker Air Force Base on February 22, 1946, the son of Buddy Leroy Lake and Betty (Hendricks) Tackett. He was a resident of Fitchburg, MA for the last 47 years. He was a graduate of both Fresno State University and UCLA in California where he earned his Bachelors and MBA respectively. He was a standout baseball and basketball player at Fresno State and played Minor league baseball for the California Angels farm team following graduation.  He served his country during the Vietnam War Era, was commissioned through the Army Officer CandidateSchool. He was honorably discharged in 1976 attaining the rank of Captain.

Buddy was very active in the communities he lived. He served as a basketball coach at Notre Dame High School for several years and the Fitchburg youth league. He was involved with a variety ofnonprofit groups, serving Native and at risk youth. He was a longtime referee for basketball and soccer throughout the area. He was heavily involved with Central Mass Soccer and was a past President of the IAABO Board 44 Referee Association. He served as a lector and Eucharistic Minister at St. Bernard Parish in Fitchburg, MA.

Buddy always greeted everyone with a big smile and a twinkle in his eye. He shared his warmth with others and there was rarely a place he went where someone did not know him. He loved people; his calling was to connect, mentor, and coach. Many who met him on the basketball courtwere privileged to learn more about the game he loved; he was always kind and fair, both on the court and in life. He freely sharedwords of wisdom and Hallmark card sentiments. Above all, he lived life with love, shared it freely; he made sure always to say “I love you” to his children, whom he was so proud of. He relished in their successes and found joy seeing them have families of their own. He took time to visit their various homes spread across the country, where he was able to reconnect with siblings and friends along the way. He commented just before his death that he was happy and proud of the life he built with his wife, his best friend.

He is survived by his wife Linda M. (Babin) Tackett of Fitchburg, MA, his children, Angel Martinez and wife Ceci of Trinity, Florida, Col. Matthew J. Tackett and wife Wendy of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, Justin T. Tackett and wife Lindsey of Powder Springs, Georgia, Sarah E. Goible and husband Joshua of Atascadero, CA,  and Joshua M. Tackett and wife Courtney of Leominster, MA, his sisters, Donna Sundre of McGaheysville, Virginia, Denise Bedoian of Sanger, CA, and Barbie Lake of Houston, Texas, his brother Thomas Tackett of Santa Rosa, CA,  grandchildren, Dino, Monique, Stefan, Haley, Hunter, Jackson, Isabella, Harper, Avalyn, Luke, Lahna, Everly, and Eleanora, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brothers,William Tackett and Jeffrey Lake.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, January 2, 2021, @ 10a.m. at St. Bernard Parish @ St. Camillus De Lellis Church 333 Mechanic St. Fitchburg, MA. Interment with Military Honors will follow in St. Bernard’s Cemetery. Calling hours at the funeral home will be Friday, January 1,2021, from 2-4p.m. All Covid-19 protocols are to be observed at the funeral home and the church. A mask is required to enter the church and funeral home and physical distancing is required.

The Lavery Chartrand Alario Funeral Home 99 Summer St. Fitchburg, MA is directing. Michael S. Alario – Director – Owner.

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