John Michael Buchanan

John Michael Buchanan
Jacksonville - John Michael Buchanan, age 73, of Jacksonville, Illinois died January 30, 2025, after a long, frustrating battle with prostate cancer.
Born June 25, 1951, in Jacksonville; John was the second child of the late Bill W. and Dorothy E. Houston Buchanan. He married Mary Ardis Manning on July 14, 1979, in Jacksonville and she survives. He leaves behind two children whom he taught his annoying habit of perfectionism, Joel A. Buchanan (wife, Kristen) of Jacksonville and M. Megan Johnson (husband, Daryl) of Morton; five grandchildren whom he alternately spoiled and teased, Kole and Kora Buchanan of Jacksonville and Henry, Charlie and Theo Johnson of Morton; two siblings, an older sister, Joy E. Buchanan of Springfield and a younger brother, Robert L. Buchanan (wife, Lynda) of Chatham; three special nieces; numerous cousins; and several close friends of questionable believability to complete the list of those left to embellish his memory. He was preceded in death by a brother who deserved many more years, Richard E. Buchanan (surviving his wife, Lisa of Foster City, California)
John dedicated his life to caring for others and serving his community as a licensed funeral director for over 50 years, literally touching the lives of thousands.
He was a 1969 graduate of Jacksonville High School, a 1973 graduate of Illinois College, and a 1974 honors graduate of Indiana College of Mortuary Science. Named a Certified Funeral Service Practitioner in January of 2005, he was a life member of the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice. Succeeding his father, he owned and operated the Gillham-Buchanan Funeral Home in Jacksonville and the Massie-Buchanan Funeral Homes in Virginia and Ashland, later joining the Cody family in 2007 to create the Buchanan & Cody Funeral Home and Crematory which also encompassed Meredosia. He held memberships in the National Funeral Directors Association, Illinois Funeral Directors Association, and Funeral Ethics Association. He formerly served 25 years as a volunteer certified eye enucleation technician for the Illinois and Missouri Eye Banks in cooperation with the Lions of Illinois. In addition, he served on the board of directors for Jacksonville Savings Bank from 2008-2018.
A committed volunteer leader, John served as president of the Jacksonville Jaycees from 1978-79. The Jaycees honored him as a J.C.I. Senator in 1981 and he continued to hold membership in Illinois JCI Senate. A long-time member and past director of the Jacksonville Kiwanis Club, he was named a Distinguished Kiwanian in 2005. He held numerous civic leadership positions including service as president in 1987 and campaign co-chairman in 1985 of the Prairieland United Way and the 1975-76 chairman of the Morgan County Chapter of American Red Cross. John was a former director and past president of the Jacksonville Public Library Board of Trustees, where he helped organize the Friends of the Library organization. For ten years, he served on the Passavant Area Hospital Board of Directors, serving as its board president from 1989-1990. He served as chairman of the Jacksonville Public Building Commission from 1996 to 2016 for which he received the Mayor's Distinguished Service Award in 1999 for his work on the Public Library expansion. He was also a long-time board member and former president of the Jacksonville Public Schools Foundation.
For many decades, John was dedicated to the maintenance and preservation of rural cemeteries, reaching out to state agencies and elected officials to seek clarification of issues and request accountability. In addition, John served well over 40 years as a trustee, vice president, and treasurer of Ebenezer Cemetery Association, where he led the efforts to erect a new entrance and rebuild the roadways.
John devoted significant time and effort to improving the City of Jacksonville by assisting with the successful passage of a non-partisan municipal governance referendum, the Home Rule referendum, and the one cent sales tax referendum to benefit Morgan County schools. He was chairman of the Jacksonville Comprehensive Planning Committee, where he was instrumental in the creation of a new brick and stone community gateway at Community Park. He also served as a member of the Jacksonville Recycling Committee, Jacksonville Downtown Planning Committee, and a founding board member of the Jacksonville Promise. More recently, he spearheaded the effort to re-establish the Jacksonville Area Hall of Fame program to honor community service and leadership, serving as the re-founding president.
Devoted to the scouting program through the years, John was an Eagle Scout and a long-time former volunteer in Scouting. He served as Explorer Advisor with Post 113, Cubmaster with Pack 108, and Assistant Scoutmaster with Troop 107. He formerly served on several Honest Abe District, Abraham Lincoln Council, and National Eagle Scout Association committees and assisted in several fund-raising efforts including the campaign to build Camp Bunn. He was recognized by the Honest Abe District with their community leadership award in 2014.
An Illinois College alumnus, he served on the College's Board of Trustees from 1992 to 1997 as an alumni trustee and was also elected a director of the Illinois College Alumni Association. While a student at IC, he was a member of Pi Pi Rho Literary Society who presented him with Outstanding Alumnus Award in 1988. He later established an annual scholarship at IC to benefit area students and celebrate Gillham-Buchanan Funeral Home's centennial in 1998.
In addition, John was a member of Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church and a former member of Centenary United Methodist Church, both in Jacksonville. He formerly served as a member of Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce Contact Club, member of NBA Barton W. Stone Christian Home Board of Directors, member of Jacksonville Elks Lodge, Jacksonville Art Association, Zingabad Grotto, and Harmony Lodge #3 AF & AM, where he presented with their Community Builders Award in 2017. He formerly coached YMCA youth football and Elks youth baseball teams. He was active in the Jacksonville High School Band Parents, JHS reunion events, and the JHS Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumni selection committee. He also provided leadership in past years to fund raising projects for the American Diabetes Association, Jacksonville Symphony Society, American Heart Association, Jacksonville Promise scholarship program, and former CACHE campaign to benefit Illinois and the former MacMurray Colleges. He was recently honored for his community work by being named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Jacksonville Rotary Club. More recently, he joined the Prairieland United Way Advisory Cabinet to assist the campaign leaders.
For some unknown and perplexing reason, John enjoyed attending the Bahan's Coffee Group, often referred to by its ""members"" as the Athens of the Midwest Think Tank. They debated local, state, federal and global issues with occasional fiery rhetoric. They accomplished nothing.
Much to the dismay of their grandmother and parents, Grandpa John took great pride in being a ""partner in crime"" with his grandchildren, teaching them the really important things in life such as how to burp loudly, give knuckle rubs, pull on Grandpa's finger, play tic-tac-toe on restaurant placemats, how to find Grandma's hidden snacks, and a myriad of other inappropriate behaviors. His passions were many and included constant harassment of his friends, playing golf poorly, and spending time trying to convince his grandkids that the tall tales he told were indeed true, such as the federal law which requires buttered popcorn and soda at all movies.
He vehemently complained about technology and forgotten passwords, rap/hip-hop music, the designated hitter rule, political correctness, arthritis, football half-time shows without marching bands, child proof medicine bottles, ketchup on hotdogs, and triple bogeys on the golf course. As a life-long baseball fan, he loved time spent with old friends on hot dusty softball fields and supporting his beloved St. Louis Cardinals by somewhat ineffectively yelling at the TV. He relished occasional last-minute adventures to Busch Stadium with his long-time buddy, Michael Hurt, and worrying that some members of his family were Cub fans. He loved his red 2005 Chevy SSR, asserting it was a babe magnet, albeit there was absolutely no proof of that claim.
John wrapped up his life without any streets, buildings, or alleys named in his honor, nor monuments erected in his likeness, nor mighty oak trees planted in his memory, but he did live long enough to love his family, value his friends, and cherish the special relationships developed with area families during 50+ years of funeral service.
Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, at the Buchanan & Cody Funeral Home in Jacksonville with burial at Ebenezer Cemetery, north of Jacksonville. The family with meet friends the night prior, Tuesday February 4, 2025, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorial gifts are suggested to Jacksonville Public Schools Foundation, Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church, or Ebenezer Cemetery Association. However, his preference is that family and friends give the gift of themselves as a role model, community volunteer, or good neighbor. The Buchanan & Cody Funeral Home in Jacksonville is in charge of arrangements. Condolences and a personal promise to stand up and set an example may be sent online at buchanancody.com.