Ronald Lewis Buckley, 77, of Bay Springs, MS, passed away Sunday, December 18, 2022, at his residence in Bay Springs, MS. He was born Monday, November 26, 1945, in Alexandria, Louisiana.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, December 22, 2022, from 12:00 p.m. until 1:45 p.m. at Berean Bible Church, which is located at 385 Highway 528, Bay Springs, MS . Funeral services will be held immediately after visitation on Thursday, December 22, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. at Berean Bible Church. Burial will follow in Berean Bible Cemetery. Pastor Kevin Williamson and Dr. Chinyere Onwubiko will officiate. Colonial Chapel Funeral Home of Bay Springs is in charge of arrangements. 601-764-2181.

Ronnie enjoyed life, including fishing, following Southern Miss sports, traveling, and going to church, where he often led the singing. He was always a ready partner for a good meal, which would be accompanied by a hearty discussion of religion, business, sports, or politics. He loved conversations about the Bible and his Lord Jesus more than all the other topics. Sometimes he would walk into a room and seem to not recognize others there. It was not that he was disinterested in others; he was simply always contemplating something. Ronnie and his father started Buckley Newspapers in 1967, and nine years later he came up with the idea to mail a free paper during a time when paid publications was the industry trend. His idea, called the Impact, was later mailed to dozens of zip codes and over 200,000 homes every week, allowing Ronnie to do business with some of the largest companies in the United States.

He was preceded in death by his father, Dr. Frank W. Buckley; mother, Vonnie Crouch Buckley. Survivors include his wife, Carolyn Langford Buckley of Bay Springs, MS; sons, Michael Buckley of Laurel and Zach Buckley (Amie) of Bay Springs; brother, Charles Ray Buckley (Barbara) of Columbia, SC; sister, Mary Carole Bowers (Marcus); grandsons, Zach Buckley, Jr., John Paul Buckley, and Brooks Buckley; granddaughters, Lana Buckley, Reagan Buckley, and Hannah Grace Buckley.

Pallbearers will be Troy Stenson, Shawn Hinton, Tyrone Gavin, Ken Blocker, George Monk, and George Dominguez. Honorary pallbearers will be Zach Buckley Jr. and John Paul Buckley.