Gordon 'Buff' Buffington

GORDON ALBERT "BUFF" BUFFINGTON Born in Worcester, MA on 5/10/15. Buff passed away in Santa Fe on 2/4/11 at the age of 95 after a long life full of adventures. In 1942, Buff joined the Navy and served in the Pacific until his discharge in 1946. After returning to Massachusetts Buff decided to move to Alaska in search of a more casual lifestyle. He made the trip on his bicycle - the first of many long distance bike trips he took during his lifetime. In 1956 Buff made a trip back to Worcester on his bicycle. In 1962 he rode from Anchorage to Peru (by way of Chicago) for a trip of 10,000 miles. In 1971 Buff returned to Lima, Peru with his bicycle and rode up into the Andes for a high-elevation trip along the Central Highway to Lake Titicaca. Buff enjoyed riding a bicycle because it was slow enough to enjoy the scenery and enable him to "go local" with the people, culture and food. In the mid-1970's, Buff moved to Santa Fe, where he enjoyed the hiking and biking. For many years, he spent the summer in Guadalajara, visiting with his friends the Valencia-Garcia family. Buff is survived by his nieces, Carolyn Roe and Sandra Gillis; great nephew, Jason Masciarelli; and great niece, Kristina Gillis. In Santa Fe he leaves behind David and Catherine Tenney and Tara Rose Spaulding. We wish to thank the staff at Kingston Residence for their love and care, especially Cyndy, Sara and Tony. No services are planned. Memorial contributions can be made to PFLAG Santa Fe (Box 32053, Santa Fe, NM 87594-2053) or to The Trevor Project (online).