Born on April 17, 1929 in Laurinburg, he was the son of the late Dr. and Mrs. L. T. Buchanan. Mr. Buchanan was a graduate of Laurinburg High School where he played football and baseball. In 1951 he received a degree in Textiles from North Carolina State College where he was a member of the Naval ROTC and Phi Beta Phi fraternity.
After serving as a meteorologist in the U.S. Navy during the Korean Conflict, he joined Cannon Mills Company. He became Assistant Vice-president of Weaving and traveled throughout Europe and Japan to evaluate and purchase textile equipment. An expert in textile weaving, Mr. Buchanan taught weaving seminars at NC State and Clemson Universities.
Retiring from Cannon in 1985, he joined J.P. Stevens Co. where he initiated a program of computer designed textile patterns for looms and an automated sortation-distribution system at the Steven’s plant in Wagram, NC. He retired from Stevens in 1991.
An avid golfer, he was a member of the Kannapolis Country Club. During his retirement years, he worked part-time in the golf area until health conditions required him to leave in 2005.
A generous, compassionate man, Mr. Buchanan performed many valuable services for his community and state. He was a member trustee of CMC NorthEast for over thirty years and served on the committee for the establishment of their chaplain program. He served as Chairman of the Board of the Cabarrus Workshop and assisted in the founding of ARC in Cabarrus County. Mr. Buchanan served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the NC Vocational Textile School at Belmont and acted as a liaison between the school and various textile companies. He was recognized for his service to the NC Center for Applied Textile Technology and for his leadership in the “Buy Only American” Campaign. Serving as President of the Kannapolis Bible Teaching Association, Mr. Buchanan was instrumental in obtaining tax-exempt status for the association. He was a member of the executive committee for the Democratic precinct in which he lived and served as a poll worker for Box 4. He was a member of the Grimes club at the YMCA and the Kannapolis Rotary Club and was named a Paul Harris Fellow. He was an enthusiastic volunteer for Meals on Wheels and the Cooperative Christian Ministries.
A loyal and active member of Trinity United Methodist Church, Mr. Buchanan taught the Jr. High Sunday School Class, chaired many varied commissions and committees and served as Chairman of the Administrative Board and as a delegate to annual conference, He was a life member of United Methodist Men and participated in their Men’s Challenge Weekends at Camp Tekoa and in their annual fishing trips. He served as a member of the Boy Scouts Executive Committee at Trinity and for the Kannapolis district. He especially enjoyed the activities of the Wesley Fellowship. At the time of his death, he was a member of the Rev. J.L. Smith Class where he had served as president and a substitute teacher.
Survivors include his wife, Doris Haney Buchanan, his daughter, Betsy Buchanan, and his son, William Buchanan, Jr. and his wife Andrea. He is also survived by three brothers-in-law: Ralph Haney of Kannapolis, Roy Haney of Vildia, GA, Kenneth Haney and wife Angie of Gibson, NC, a sister-in-law, Mabel Buchanan of Laurinburg, many loved nieces and nephews, and his special pets: Tippy, Ditto, and Lady. Mr. Buchanan was predeceased by his sisters Josie Buchanan of Laurinburg, NC, Margaret B. Turlington and Frances B. James of Winter Haven, FL, and his brother Thomas Buchanan of Laurinburg, NC
Services will be at 11:00 am on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at Trinity United Methodist Church under the leadership of the Rev. Judith White. Burial will be at Carolina Memorial Park. The family will receive friends from 6 pm until 8 pm at Whitley’s Funeral Home on Monday, December 7, 2009. At other times they will be at the residence.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: NorthEast Foundation Breast Cancer Campaign, 920 Church Street, N., Concord NC, 28083; Hospice and Palliative Care of Cabarrus County, 5003 Hospice Lane, Kannapolis, NC 28081, or Senior Ministries of Trinity United Methodist Church, 416 East First Street, Kannapolis, NC 28083.
The family would like to express their deep appreciation to the following people for the excellent and compassionate medical care they gave Bill during his long years of illness: Dr. Benjamin Kunesh of Copperfield Internal Medicine, the doctors, nurses, and staff of NorthEast Medical Center, Dr. Kurt Wilhelmson of UNC Medical Center, the aides and CNAs of Home Instead Senior Care, the nurses and staff of Hospice and Palliative Care of Cabarrus County, and the medical staff of the Home Care Clinic of Hefner VA Medical Center.
Post a Comment
