Mr. Isaiah Emmanuel Bucknor

Isaiah Emmanuel Bucknor, 85, of Sayreville, New Jersey, passed away, Tuesday, May 14, 2019 surrounded by close family and friends.

Isaiah was born April 13, 1934 in Hanover, JA to Edgar Bucknor and Alice Reid. As a kid, his nickname was “JohnnyTender”, because his feet was always so tender – he would never leave of out the house without his shoes or something on his feet. He was a man of many trades. Of his many professions, his biggest talent was farming. Isaiah grew everything and raised numerous animals. He had a gift with animals and farming alike. In addition to farming, he was a power line technician, a lumberman, and even dabbled in boxing for a short time. Isaiah admitted that boxing was not a good match because he “didn’t like getting hit”, thus his tactic was to “throw the first hit” to take his opponent out on the first punch. He was also a bus driver, which is how he met and later married his one and only wife, Valrie Campbell. Between the two, they had 11 children.  Although the union was not everlasting, Isaiah always spoke highly of the marriage and how he was forever grateful of the “Flowers Garden” (children) shared between the both of them. 

Isaiah have always made it known that his greatest accomplishment and love in life was his children, which he often referred to as his “Flowers Garden”. He was a dad who absolutely adored his children beyond measures. He was the Dad who told bedtime stories, raised grandkids, cried, and still found time to pacify his adult children as if they were still babies. His Christ-like heart showed him to be a dad that no matter how difficult life was, he never showed it to worry his family. He endured a lot in life, but his burdens of life was nevera factor to his children. His gentle temperament was ill suited for punishing naughty children, of which there were eleven (11) of us. In other words… daddy never spanked us. 

In his company, his children felt special, cherished and loved. He was always adamant about staying close as a family, always calling and checking in on one another, and never allowing anything negative to impact or threaten the family bond. Isaiahwas a dad who loved life and urged everyone to see the fun side of life. He would always encourage his children to forgive and overlook “stupidity”. One of his most common advice was “You caah falla fool fi ketch wise“ (You cannot follow a fool and think you’re going to become wise).

Isaiah was witty, funny, loving, generous, and well-known for his forgiving heart. To many others, he was a mentor. Because he had such a magnetic personality, he was loved by all those he came in contact with. He made friends wherever he went. He would always be ready for a party and loved being around happy people. He lived his life freely, innocently, and pure, with no apologies. He was a lightness of being and a generosity of spirit who made his children believe in the possibilities of love and life. Legendary for his “Grandpa’s Special” dish (and we won’t say what that is), his memorable laugh, his “aye sah, the pickney dem no listen. Weh mi fi do? Beat dem? No sah!”, andhis light of the party dance moves. Much to be admired. A life well lived and loved. Best. Dad. Ever.

Isaiah is survived by his 11 children (Lincoln, Wayne “Bibbs”, Nigel “Gary”, Cleveland “Cleve”, Rose, Winsome, Sharon, Denese, Patrick, Nevelle, and Karon “the baby”. Isaiah is also survived by his 38 (thirty-eight) grandchildren, great-grandchildren (Lauren, Vanessa, Isaiah, Amelia, and Jaxon), his three brothers (Mr. Headley Bucknor, Mr. Cecil Bucknor, and Mr. Rudolph Bucknor), his sister (Ms. Ida Bucknor), along with cousins, several nieces and nephews, and his loving companion Ms. Allean Blankenship.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Edgar and Alice, and his sister, Ms. Enid Bucknor.

Family and friends may visit from 3:00 until 8:00 PM on Friday at the funeral home located at 923 McDaniel St SW, Atlanta, GA 30310. A celebration of life service will be held at 1:00 PM, Saturday, May 25 at Faith Temple Missionary Baptist Church, 341 Hill St SE, Atlanta, GA 30312. The burial will follow soon after at Forrest Hill Cemetery. A celebration of Isaiah’s life will immediately follow at 

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