William Joseph Buchanan

William Buchanan, 70, passed away at his home in Portland, Oregon Wednesday, Dec. 27. William was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania on July 9, 1953 and spent much of his childhood in Saratoga, California — where he was raised by his parents William and Rosemary. Growing up, he roughoused with his younger brothers Tim, Chris, John and Mark, threw curveballs on the pitching mound, won the MVP of his cross-country program at Archbishop Mitty High School and saved shots as the goalie of the school’s soccer team.

After high school graduation, he attended University of California-Los Angeles for one year before transferring to University of California-Berkeley and finishing his degree in Business Administration there. At Berkeley, he met Kimberly Ryan and friends could tell he was immediately taken by her. The two were friends for about a year before beginning their happy life together. They tied the knot in Half Moon Bay in 1978 and moved to Oregon in 1980. William and Kimberly lived in Salem briefly before settling in Portland, including spending more than two decades in a home across the street from Laurelhurst Park. Kimberly gave birth to their beloved son, Corey, in 1992.

William worked in insurance for most of his professional life and served as a senior underwriter at Standard Insurance Company for many years. On his days off, he enjoyed cross-country skiing — sometimes with Corey on his back — golfing with friends and long bike rides.

William never failed to call his parents every Sunday to check in. Upon retirement, he volunteered for Store To Door, where he delivered meals to the elderly.

William was always up for an adventure. He visited 38 countries in Europe, Southeast Asia, South America and the Caribbean — and enjoyed a multitude of cruises including one through the Baltic Sea from Copenhagen to St. Petersburg.

William was something of a rock ‘n roll music historian — he could name the date many hit songs were released and vividly describe the origin stories of The Beatles, The Doors and other groups and enjoyed strumming famous riffs on his guitar. Friends and family remember his infectious enthusiasm when discussing his favorite bands and memories like seeing The Who in concert or catching a glimpse of the Fab Four.

And he relished rooting for San Francisco professional sports teams, the Oregon Ducks and Portland Timbers. He was also a lover of dogs and raised four in the span of 30 years including Quincy, Chelsea, Howard and Gracie.

At home, William bought groceries, made dinner and did the dishes most nights, kept the hot tub running even though he didn’t use it and performed many of the other household chores.

Friends remember William’s contagious laugh, sense of humor and humility. Even after weird accidents like falling off a segway in Malta or a raft in Mexico, he would always turn the event into a recurring joke.

William died of an aggressive form of soft tissue sarcoma. He will be deeply missed.

William is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and his son, Corey.