James Lyle Buchanan

MSgt USAF (Retired)

Born July 25, 1919

Died December 24, 2010

James Lyle Buchanan was born to David Clyde Buchanan and Jessie Lillian (Dean) Buchanan on July 25, 1919 in Grove Center, Kentucky. He attended schools in the area and graduated in 1937 from Morganfield High School.

Jim enlisted in the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1937 and was sent to Woods Cross, Utah. He worked building a levy to separate fresh water from snow melt in the Wasatch Mountains from the salt basin below. He returned to Kentucky in 1939 and, after a short stay, enlisted in the Army Air Corps on September 30, 1940.

In 1942, while working in a machine shop at Waco Army Air Base in Waco, Texas, he met Edith Rebecca Cole. They corresponded throughout the war.

Jim served in the Pacific Theatre in World War II. He sailed from San Francisco on July 25, 1943 to Townsville, Australia. He moved through the Pacific with his unit to Oro Bay, New Guinea, the Philippines and Clark Field, Okinawa. He was discharged on October 1, 1945 and returned to Texas to visit Edith and friends in Waco. He met Edith in Dallas and accompanied her on the trolley ride from Dallas to Waco. She was returning home to Gatesville for the weekend. He proposed on the trolley ride and she accepted. They were married on Armistice (Veteran’s) Day, November 11, 1945.

Jim reenlisted in 1945 and, as with all military families, transfers were a fact of life. They went from Texas to Tampa, Florida where a son was born. A transfer to Fairbanks, Alaska followed and then to Fort Worth with a final stop at Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin, where they retired from the Air Force. After Jim retired from the Air Force in 1961, he went to work for the University of Texas as a scientific instrument maker (machinist). He worked in various machine shops on the campus until his retirement in 1986.

Jim was a proud member of the Austin Baptist Church, where he was a Deacon, and the Masonic Lodge. He kept active as a fierce competitor in the Friday Night Domino Club, a gathering of long time friends.

Jim was the last of his generation in the Buchanan family. He was preceded in death by his wife, Edith, his parents, one sister, Ella Dean Collins, and two brothers, Aaron Clyde (Buster) Buchanan and Newton (Newt) F. Buchanan. He is survived by his son Bruce Cole and wife, Virginia Goetze, as well as several nephews.

Visitation will be Wednesday, December 29, 2010 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Cook-Walden Capital Parks Funeral Home in Pflugerville, Texas. Services are scheduled at 1:00 PM Thursday, December 30, 2010, at the Chapel at Cook-Walden Capital Parks Funeral Home, with interment to follow in Capital Parks Cemetery. Pallbearers are Bobby Yount, Mark Kelley, Stephen Sebesta, Bill Williamson, Clyde Danks, Jim Bourne, Don Carrington, and Robert Christianson. Honorary Pallbearers are John Brown, Milton Dowd, Stan Manley, Louis Timberlake, and John Shirley.

The family wishes to express their heartfelt thanks to Cynthia Layne-Gordon, Linda Boone and Anita Warfield. Their dedication as Jim’s caregivers helped to preserve his quality of life. A special thanks to the nurses and staff of North Austin Medical Center, Floor 3 South for their care and skill during Jim’s hospital stays.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Texas Baptist Children’s Home in Round Rock, Texas or to the charity of your choice.

To share memories about Jim, please visit www.cookwaldencapitalparks.com