M. Earl Buchanan Lewistown, Pennsylvania Obituary

M. Earl Buchanan

<p>&ldquo;Just think of stepping on shore and finding it Heaven, of taking a hand and finding it God&rsquo;s, of breathing new air and finding it celestial, of waking up in glory and finding it Home.&rdquo; (Don Wyrtzen) Such was the journey of Earl Buchanan on Saturday, November 28, 2020. He watched the Penn State Football Team win its first game of the season. They won on that day, but Earl was the ultimate winner as he got to the finish line also, home free, for all eternity as he had sealed his eternal destination many years ago having entered into a personal relationship with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.</p> <p>M. Earl Buchanan, 92, of Valley View Retirement Community, Belleville. He was born on April 5, 1928, to John A Buchanan and Lorma G Coulter in Lewistown. He was a devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and a great friend to many. Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 72 years, Betty J. Wagner Buchanan, whom he married on September 20, 1948;&nbsp; three children, Barbara A. Baumbach (Allen J) of Middletown, John A. Buchanan of Elkland, and Susan B. Reagan (James III) of Belleville; 9 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, and many extended family members and friends. He will be greatly missed.</p> <p>Earl was a man of great faith, integrity, and compassion and served his Lord both in the church and in the community. He was a generous man, and was always concerned about others, putting their needs ahead of his own. He was industrious and hardworking and had a good work ethic. He taught his children and grandchildren that if a job is worth doing, do it right to the best of your ability, and make sure you finish the job.</p> <p>Earl graduated from Lewistown High School, Class of 1946. Following graduation, he enlisted in the United States Army and served his country from 1946-47, obtaining the rank of Sergeant. For a short time in 1951, he returned to serve as a member of the United States Army Reserves 453rd Replacement Company at Camp Stoneman, Pittsburg, California.</p> <p>At the age of 13, after the death of his father, he began working as a shoe shiner at Art Schutawie&rsquo;s &ldquo;On the Square&rdquo; in Lewistown. Over the years, he was employed at the Logan Ironworks and Standard Steel Works in Burnham. American Viscose Corp and Prudential Insurance Company in Lewistown and retired in 1990 from the Lewistown Office of The United States Postal Service where he was employed as a letter carrier for 25 years.</p> <p>He loved his family, immediate and extended, and they loved him back. He loved to talk and laugh and had a contagious, engaging personality that made even casual acquaintances glad to be around him. He was a great storyteller, as anyone who knew him could attest.</p> <p>He enjoyed fishing, hunting, and woodworking. He spent long winter hours in his woodworking shop and gifted the product of his labor. He was a perfectionist to a fault. An avid gardener, he shared the bounty of the harvest he garnered from two large gardens that he worked for sixty plus years at their home on West Fifth Street. Family, friends, and neighbors were all smiles when they saw Earl coming with a basket of fresh vegetables, strawberries, or raspberries. Holidays brought anticipation of home-grown corn that Gram and Pap had harvested and processed. The grandkids would always ask &ldquo;are we having Pap&rsquo;s corn?&rdquo;</p> <p>Until his eyesight failed him, he was an avid reader, especially history books and in particular all things Civil War. He was very knowledgeable about many subjects. His last thirty years were spent researching and compiling his Buchanan family genealogy. Over the years, he clipped newspaper articles, visited family members, and spent countless hours at the Lewistown Historical Society and online genealogy sites looking to find as much information as he could about his ancestors. He was so pleased when all of this work finally culminated in a nearly 300-page printed family tree book, filled with photographs and detailed information centered around the family of his grandfather, James Hall Buchanan.</p> <p>A private graveside service will be held at the convenience of the family. Interment will take place at Juniata Memorial Cemetery.</p> <p>&nbsp;A memorial service to celebrate Earl&rsquo;s life will be planned at a later date.</p> <p>Should you desire to make a contribution in his memory, please consider the following:</p> <p>American Macular Degeneration Foundation P.O. Box 515 Northampton, MA 01061-0515</p> <p>Children&rsquo;s Miracle Network (Hershey), 1249 Cocoa Avenue, # 115, Hershey, Pennsylvania&nbsp;&nbsp; 17033 &ndash; please&nbsp;&nbsp; designate in honor of John E. Petrone III</p> <p>Endowment Fund C/O Valley View Retirement Community, 4702 E Main Street, Belleville, PA&nbsp;&nbsp; 17004, Samaritan&rsquo;s Purse, PO Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607, St Jude&rsquo;s Children&rsquo;s Research Hospital, PO Box 50, Memphis TN&nbsp;&nbsp; 35101-9929</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>
April 5, 1928 - November 28, 202004/05/192811/28/2020
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“Just think of stepping on shore and finding it Heaven, of taking a hand and finding it God’s, of breathing new air and finding it celestial, of waking up in glory and finding it Home.” (Don Wyrtzen) Such was the journey of Earl Buchanan on Saturday, November 28, 2020. He watched the Penn State Football Team win its first game of the season. They won on that day, but Earl was the ultimate winner as he got to the finish line also, home free, for all eternity as he had sealed his eternal destination many years ago having entered into a personal relationship with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

M. Earl Buchanan, 92, of Valley View Retirement Community, Belleville. He was born on April 5, 1928, to John A Buchanan and Lorma G Coulter in Lewistown. He was a devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and a great friend to many. Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 72 years, Betty J. Wagner Buchanan, whom he married on September 20, 1948;  three children, Barbara A. Baumbach (Allen J) of Middletown, John A. Buchanan of Elkland, and Susan B. Reagan (James III) of Belleville; 9 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, and many extended family members and friends. He will be greatly missed.

Earl was a man of great faith, integrity, and compassion and served his Lord both in the church and in the community. He was a generous man, and was always concerned about others, putting their needs ahead of his own. He was industrious and hardworking and had a good work ethic. He taught his children and grandchildren that if a job is worth doing, do it right to the best of your ability, and make sure you finish the job.

Earl graduated from Lewistown High School, Class of 1946. Following graduation, he enlisted in the United States Army and served his country from 1946-47, obtaining the rank of Sergeant. For a short time in 1951, he returned to serve as a member of the United States Army Reserves 453rd Replacement Company at Camp Stoneman, Pittsburg, California.

At the age of 13, after the death of his father, he began working as a shoe shiner at Art Schutawie’s “On the Square” in Lewistown. Over the years, he was employed at the Logan Ironworks and Standard Steel Works in Burnham. American Viscose Corp and Prudential Insurance Company in Lewistown and retired in 1990 from the Lewistown Office of The United States Postal Service where he was employed as a letter carrier for 25 years.

He loved his family, immediate and extended, and they loved him back. He loved to talk and laugh and had a contagious, engaging personality that made even casual acquaintances glad to be around him. He was a great storyteller, as anyone who knew him could attest.

He enjoyed fishing, hunting, and woodworking. He spent long winter hours in his woodworking shop and gifted the product of his labor. He was a perfectionist to a fault. An avid gardener, he shared the bounty of the harvest he garnered from two large gardens that he worked for sixty plus years at their home on West Fifth Street. Family, friends, and neighbors were all smiles when they saw Earl coming with a basket of fresh vegetables, strawberries, or raspberries. Holidays brought anticipation of home-grown corn that Gram and Pap had harvested and processed. The grandkids would always ask “are we having Pap’s corn?”

Until his eyesight failed him, he was an avid reader, especially history books and in particular all things Civil War. He was very knowledgeable about many subjects. His last thirty years were spent researching and compiling his Buchanan family genealogy. Over the years, he clipped newspaper articles, visited family members, and spent countless hours at the Lewistown Historical Society and online genealogy sites looking to find as much information as he could about his ancestors. He was so pleased when all of this work finally culminated in a nearly 300-page printed family tree book, filled with photographs and detailed information centered around the family of his grandfather, James Hall Buchanan.

A private graveside service will be held at the convenience of the family. Interment will take place at Juniata Memorial Cemetery.

 A memorial service to celebrate Earl’s life will be planned at a later date.

Should you desire to make a contribution in his memory, please consider the following:

American Macular Degeneration Foundation P.O. Box 515 Northampton, MA 01061-0515

Children’s Miracle Network (Hershey), 1249 Cocoa Avenue, # 115, Hershey, Pennsylvania   17033 – please   designate in honor of John E. Petrone III

Endowment Fund C/O Valley View Retirement Community, 4702 E Main Street, Belleville, PA   17004, Samaritan’s Purse, PO Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607, St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, PO Box 50, Memphis TN   35101-9929

 

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