JAMES DOUGLAS BUCHANAN

James "Jim" Douglas Buchanan







James (Jim) Douglas Buchanan, 65, passed away Monday, December 30, 2019, in Albuquerque, NM, surrounded by family who loved him. He was born in Santa Rita, NM to Harry W. Buchanan, Jr. and Mary M. Mitchell.

Jim graduated from Manzano High School in 1972. He served in the US Navy, was a Vietnam veteran, and was awarded over 25 commendations including the Navy Achievement Medal. He was a founding team member of the Weiner in-vivo-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy medical research laboratory (Magnetic Resonance Unit) at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, which became the Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases in 2000. While at the lab, he helped pioneer over 3,000 diagnostic blood tests now routinely used worldwide.

He had a forty-year career as a diagnostic imaging engineer. As a field engineer, he worked on computed tomography scanners, magnetic resonance imagers, and advanced molecular imaging cameras worldwide. The machines he worked on saved lives, and this gave his own life meaning. He traveled in and out of 36 states and 20 European and Asian countries; his favorite places were the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia.

Jim loved New Mexico and moved back to Albuquerque in 2001 where he married his high school sweetheart, Hope. In his spare time, he photographed many of our state's beautiful vistas and sunsets, wrote and published two novels and a collection of short stories. He loved Flamenco, the theatre, cinema, museums, books and his big old hound dog, Kita. He was steadfast in his friendships, expressing his inner most opinions and thoughts about life to his dearest friends from childhood, colleagues, co-workers, Facebook friends and many others. He was honest to a tee. For the past several years, he worked for Crothall Healthcare at CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe.

He is survived by his loving wife, Hope McVeety; son, Richard Buchanan (Stacey), grandsons Gunnar and Nash of Seattle, WA; daughter, Brooke Conner (Shaun), granddaughter Shyla of Denver, CO; brother, Mark Buchanan (Louise) of Sacramento, CA; sisters, Joni Reed (Todd); Heather Starr (John) of Albuquerque; and Amy Collins (Toby) of Las Cruces; step-brother, Kenneth Manwaring (Diane) of Windsor, Ontario, Canada; step-mother, Scottie Smith of Albuquerque; mother-in-law, Abigail McVeety of Albuquerque; sister-in-law, Debby More (Andy) of Tijeras; brothers-in-law, Tom McVeety of Albuquerque, Rod McVeety (Dodie) of Corrales, and Bruce McVeety (Renie) of Dublin, OH; nieces, nephews, and extended family.

The family wishes to thank his compassionate physicians at UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center as well as those at UNMH MICU, Oncology and Pulmonology, and the staff who took care of him in the last weeks of his life. Jim was courageous in his battle against lung cancer, a fighter to the end. He will be forever remembered by those who knew and loved him.

Memorial services will be held at the UNM Alumni Memorial Chapel on Sunday, January 19th, 2020 at 11:00 am. Jim had a lifelong passion for learning and was eager to pass on his knowledge. Memorial contributions may be made in his name to the scholarship fund: Monarch's Alumni TSF, c/o Jon Jojola, 10416 Walker Dr. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87112; and donations in his name to CHRISTUS St. Vincent Hospital Foundation, Healthcare Exploration Program, at their website: stvinfoundation.org.