John J. “Jay” Buckley Jr., 73, of Great Falls made his transition from this life on February 16, 2026. Jay was born in Wolf Point, Montana on May 1, 1952. He was the third of four children of Jack and Alice Buckley.
He graduated high school in Golden, Colorado, and earned a B.A. degree summa cum laude in Business and Management from Regis University. His career in telecommunications took him to Bozeman, Billings, and Denver.
During 1989-1997, he became an international telecommunications consultant, helping to set up phone services in New Zealand and achieving dual citizenship during that process. He returned to Denver in 1997.
His long-term goal of returning to his Montana roots to establish a small sustainable organic farm became reality in 2006 when he and his wife Kathy Megel moved to riverfront acreage on the banks of the Missouri River, a few miles south of Great Falls. Their venture was named “Organic Heaven,” it subsequently provided sumptuous produce to health food stores in Helena and Great Falls and generous donations of healthy food to the Boys and Girls Club of Cascade County.
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