Carl Buchanan

1925 - 2017

Carl Lawrence Buchanan was born on January 17th, 1925, and peacefully went to be with his Lord on September 29th, 2017. He is survived by his younger sister Shirley, two sons Bill and wife Deborah and Tim and wife Ellen, 8 grandchildren; Michael, Tish, Heather, Jennifer, Mike, William, Laura and John, and 10 great grandchildren; Brooke, Taylor, Weston, Wyatt, Austin, Rylynn, Levi, Desmond, Zayden and Maisie. Carl, or as his friends knew him, Buck, was born in Hornick, Iowa, to Vern and Naomi Buchanan, the eldest of 3 children, sisters Ramona (deceased) and Shirley. As a boy Buck loved playing basketball, reading poetry, swimming with his dog Jack and working on heavy equipment for his father. Buck earned the rank of "Life" Scout and as a young adult was a Scout Master for a troop in Denver. He loved the outdoors and spent many hours with a shotgun, fly rod, reins on a bridle or a fence post digger in his hands. Buck was generous with his time and money and gave both to many worthwhile endeavors including his church family at Loveland Bible Church, Gideon's of which he was an active and enthusiastic member, and the Salvation Army. Buck liked to write poetry, and memorize Scripture as well as many classic poems. His mind was sharp at 92 [My health may fail and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart. Ps 73:26] and even the weeks before he went home, he was reciting poems and scripture he learned early on. Buck joined the Air Force at 19 and at 20 was the command pilot of a B-24 [Those that trust in the Lord will find new strength, they will soar high on wings like eagles they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint. Isa 40:29-31]. It was in Ft. Worth, Texas that he met his bride of almost 71 years, Racine. They married in 1944, after a 6 week courtship. Then he took her home to meet his family. After WWII Buck went to work for United Airlines where he retired after 36 years as a Captain. He and Rae moved to Denver in 1949 and there they started a family. They had 2 sons, William and Tim, moved to Boulder in 1962 and after the children left for college, bought 80 acres on the side of a mountain outside of Loveland. There they built a home and barn and turned a rock pile (Rae's words) into an oasis of beauty [Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her. Eph 5:25] Buck was happiest spending time with his family and friends. He was at home on horseback, hunting with his bird dog, flying his airplane, or on a stream fly fishing. He loved the peace of the mountains, and the majesty of the plains and instilled that love in his boys. He was a member of a group of likeminded men, called the Roof Top riders, who spent every Labor Day week on a different ranch, going for long trail rides, many times across the Continental Divide. Buck would say he was a man with more blessings than he could count, and he loved sharing them with those in need. He put the Lord first and then his family and friends and viewed life's events as a series of lessons given to bring him closer to the Lord. [For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11] He always embraced a challenge with optimism and measured a man or woman not by their accomplishments but by how they faced failure and, as he would say, "picked themselves up and tried again". The year he retired he ran in the Bolder Boulder and placed 8th in his age group. He flew his airplane over the city celebrating the National Day of Prayer and asking God's blessing on the people below, he was a bell ringer for the Salvation Army and assisted in shipping firewood to Indian reservations in South Dakota. He selflessly flew his airplane, at his expense, for Air LifeLine, bringing patients in need of specialized medical treatment from many far flung places, to Denver. [Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. Deu 15:10] Buck was an avid historian. He had a great love for the Santa Fe Trail, Lewis and Clark, the Civil War and the Founding Fathers. Buck and Rae would find Elderhostel's to attend that focused on all these areas, so they could study them up close. On several occasions Buck actually rode his horse over sections of the Santa Fe Trail. Nothing gave him more pleasure in his later years than being around his grand and great grandchildren and those old enough, knew by heart his predictable questions; "have you found a church yet and how is your relationship with the Lord"? Buck was very quietly generous, even at the end of his life but to all of us he would ask the same questions "do you know Jesus as your personal savior and where are you serving Him?" He was an incredibly grateful man as he had come to understand the full meaning of Grace. We miss him dearly but believe in our hearts as is written in this poem, "our family chain is broken but as God calls us one by one the chain will link again". The service honoring the life of Carl Buchanan will be on Saturday, November 18, 2017 at the sanctuary of First Christian Church of Loveland at 10:30 am. Pastor Charles Williams of Loveland Bible Church officiating. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts be given to Gideon's International in care of Kibbey-Fishburn Funeral Home.