Robert Alan James "Bob" BUCHANAN

BUCHANAN, Robert "Bob" Alan James: April 13, 1939 - August 2, 2023 Bob unexpectedly passed away on August 2nd. He will be greatly missed by his wife Betsy, by his daughters Dawn MacLeod (Glenn), and Dee Buchanan (Dorothy), by his grandson Joel MacLeod, granddaughter Jana MacLeod (Devin Clarke), his step grandchildren Caitlyn Calder (Jared), and Matthew Piton (Geneva). Born in Montreal, Bob began his working life as a surveyor for Quebec Natural Gas, where he first began his lifetime passion of working in the labour movement. There he first became a shop steward, quickly rising to President of the Union. In 1963, he was hired by the Board of Maritime Trustees(a trusteeship that oversaw the Seafarers' Union). Soon thereafter a colleague in Vancouver, in the same position left, and Bob was offered his position. So started our love affair with BC in 1965. When the trusteeship ended in 1967, Bob was hired by the International Chemical Workers Union, so back to Montreal. He worked for the ICWU until 1974 when he was offered a position as labour rep with the Canadian Labour Congress, working out of Cranbrook. In 1980 he was transferrred to Kelowna where he stayed with the CLC until his retirement. Bob's other passions included rescuing and sometimes adopting injured birds and animals, clowning with the Shriners and Caring Clowns, water colour painting, skiing, camping, fishing, an avid interest in politics, bargain hunting, and his beloved backyard gardens and birds. In lieu of flowers, you could make a donation to an organization of your choice, if you so wished. The family will be holding a memorial for him sometime in the fall. Details to follow.