This past weekend, the Osseo Lions Club was sad to learn about the loss of, yet, another longtime club member, Lion Bucky Hartkopf.
Lion Bucky had been a member of the Osseo Lions organization for the past 60 years.
He joined the Osseo Lions in 1962 where he went on to serve honorably in several key positions of the club.
- Served as President of the Club in 1991
- Served the District (5M5) as a Zone Chairman (1994 – 1995),
- Served as 1st Vice District Governor (1998)
- Served as District Governor (1999)
He went on to serve our local club as one of our valuable Membership Chairpersons up through 2017 when he passed the baton to Lion Chuck Rue.
Lion Bucky also chaired an annually managed Backpack Program through the club to purchase and distribute dictionaries to many youths in need of these resources within the Osseo School District.
The program was a passion project of LIon Bucky’s; to ensure these children had the tools they need to help them read and write despite their potential lack of access to technology. He championed that program up until a few years ago and we proudly carried on that mission in his honor.
Because of his dedication to serving through our club and giving back to our communities, Lion Bucky Hartkopf received several awards and accommodations throughout his years as a Lion.
- Received the Melvin Jones Fellowship for his contributions
- Received the Helen Keller Award for his work in the area of sight
- Received the Districts Red Cap award in 2004
- Was installed in the MD5M Hall of Fame in 2014
- Received the 5M Hearing Research Fellowship Award for his work in the area of hearing
He also received an acknowledgment for 56 years of Perfect Attendance!
Lion Bucky served with the heart of a Lion and our community will not soon forget his dedication or contributions to making it just a little bit better.
A Celebration of Life event and reception will be hosted for Osseo Lions Club members on September 15th (2022) at the American Legion in Osseo from 3-5 pm.
In the meantime, we ask you to join us in sending words of comfort and love to the family and friends of Lion Bucky in their hours of grief and keep them in your prayers.