Kevin Buchanan

Kevin Buchanan, age 79, of Saco, Maine, was born on April 22, 1947, in Lynn, Massachusetts, to Matthew George Buchanan and Ruth Beatrice Vaughan Buchanan. He left this world in Saco, Maine, surrounded by his wife and children. He was the third son of the Buchanan family and a graduate of Lynn English High School (1965). He went on to graduate from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City in 1967, an education that would shape the great passion of his life.

Kevin served his country as a U.S. Army combat medic during the Vietnam War (1968-1970) carrying that same fearless spirit into everything he did afterward.

Shortly after returning from Vietnam, Kevin met and married Sandra Jean Duggan (1971). They enjoyed 17 years of marriage and had three beautiful children before Sandra passed away in 1988.

Kevin wore many hats over the years including salesman, construction worker, builder, and machinist at General Electric for 20 years. But it was the stage where Kevin truly came alive. He was an actor, director, and playwright, a man who lived inside a story. He founded the Lynn Community Theatre producing and directing numerous plays. Notable productions included The Music Man (1991), Tin Pan Alley (1992), and Peter Pan (1993). In addition, he collaboratively produced and directed seven plays at Lynn Classical High School, two of which earned a place at the Massachusetts State High School Drama Festival. Kevin loved sharing his knowledge of acting and stagecraft and spent many years teaching dramatic arts at Northshore Community College and Lynn Classical High School, shaping generations of future performers. In 1995, he added another milestone, graduating from Eastern Nazarene College, a testament to his love of teaching and learning.

A longtime, proud member of the Lynn Historical Society, Kevin had a deep and abiding love for his home city. Through his passion for Lynn Woods, he brought history to life leading families and school groups on dramatic journeys to Dungeon Rock, where he delivered the historical account of the Pirate Thomas Veal and the Legend of Dungeon Rock with the full force of a man born to tell it.

Later in life, Kevin brought that same commanding presence to the screen. He acted in thirteen independent films, with standout performances in two, earning Best Actor Awards at film festivals in Eastern Tennessee. He also appeared in seven commercials and three major motion pictures.

In 1992, Kevin married Deborah Kay Hoerner, blending their families and spending the following 34 years making memories together. In 2001, the two moved to Tennessee, where Kevin embraced life as a gentleman farmer tending two small hobby farms, adoring his goats and chickens, driving his tractor, and riding his beloved horses.

Kevin and Deborah returned to the New England area in 2019, settling in Saco, Maine where he spent his remaining years puttering around the house and yard, walking his beloved dog Marley, and making friends with every neighbor in sight. Kevin was a gregarious, generous soul who was always the first to lend a hand to someone in need and equally the first to ensure a great party was worth remembering. He made friends everywhere he went and left every room richer for his presence.

Kevin is preceded in death by his first wife Sandra J. Buchanan, mother of his three children; his parents Matthew and Ruth Buchanan; and brothers Matthew V. Buchanan and Robert J. Buchanan.

He is survived by his brother Richard J. Buchanan (Susan); wife Deborah Buchanan; son Matthew D. Buchanan; daughters Stephanie J. Knight and Alison M. Morley; stepdaughter Nicole M. Federico; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law Priscilla O’Hara and Sandra Busi Buchanan; many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Funeral Services will be on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at Cuffe-McGinn Funeral Home; 157 Maple Street; Lynn. MA 01904. A visitation will be 9:00 – 11:00 AM with the memorial service starting at 11:00 AM followed by a burial and military honors in Pine Grove Cemetery in Lynn. A celebration of life at Gannon Golf Course; 60 Great Woods Road; Lynn, MA 01904 from 1:00 – 5:00 PM.

Memorial Information: In lieu of flowers the family is requesting a monetary donation to Lynn English High School Drama Club. Please send a check made out to Lynn English High School Drama Club with note reading “in memory of Kevin Buchanan (1965).” Send donations to Lynn English High School; Attn: Dr. Rary Peña; 50 Goodridge Street; Lynn, MA 01902.

The curtain has fallen, but the legend of Kevin Buchanan, like the legend of Dungeon Rock will be told for years to come. He lived loudly, loved fiercely, and left every room and every life he touched a little bigger than he found it.