John Benjamin “J.B.” Buchanan, of Metropolis, Illinois was born on December 29, 1921 to Ben and Anna Buchanan and passed away at 4:49 pm on Sunday, May 15, 2016 at Metropolis Rehabilitation Center surrounded by his family.
Funeral services will be held at 1 pm on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 at the First Baptist Church in Paducah, KY. Dr. Jason R. Browning and Dr. Charles R. Moore will officiate. Burial will follow in the Metropolis Memorial Gardens.
J.B. attended Yellow Bird School and Brookport High School, before assuming family responsibilities and farming operations at the untimely passing of his father.
He farmed for many years, and then entered the road construction business as a superintendent with Sam Barter Construction, working on state projects primarily in the States of Illinois and Kentucky, including the segment of I-24 extending from the Kentucky line to Interstate 57 at Marion, Illinois. Eventually his expertise would take him to Haiti to build roadways. He expanded his career when he became co-owner of the B & S Bus Service in Metropolis, Illinois. Upon his retirement from both of these businesses, he continued to work on private construction projects until age 90.
J.B. was a natural, never meeting a hobby or a sport at which he could not excel. He was an avid quail hunter and a bowler, often featured on WPSD TV with a perfect score. At age 48, while hunting on the grounds of Rolling Hills Country Club, he undertook his first round of golf in his hunting clothes. The rest was history. He reigned as Senior Champion at Paxton Park for 4 out of the last 6 years he participated. When asked if he was able to shoot his age, he would proclaim, “The day I shoot that high is the day I quit playing golf!”
J.B.’s family and friends considered him a phenomenon. Age was only a number that grew with time, as he continued to mow his acreage, care for his home and property, his finances and investments, perform excavation projects operating heavy equipment, hunt, and defy all odds as he fought cancer and other physical challenges, all while caring for his beloved wife, Polly. And of course, he continued to golf. He was an active (lifetime) member of Metropolis Country Club.
Most importantly, though, J.B. accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior at age 36, and was baptized in the Ohio River alongside his oldest son, Kerry. He was a former deacon of Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, New Liberty, Illinois, where he was still a member.
In earlier years, he was a Master Mason, and a member of the Elks Club, American Legion, Moose Club, and Shriner’s.
J.B. is survived by his sons, Kerry Lynn and wife Melinda and Kent Buchanan and wife Tracey; daughter, Tonya Buchanan Smith and husband Mike; grandsons, Ben Buchanan and wife Amy, Brent Buchanan and wife Keighlee, Ryan Smith and wife Lakin, Will Smith, and Jay Smith; granddaughter, Samantha Polly Smith Burgess and husband Stephen; great granddaughters, Lyla McCaslin Buchanan, Evah Grace Smith, Eliza Clare Smith; great grandsons, George Benjamin Buchanan, Abel Harris, Vincent Hardison, Roman Adam Smith; very special niece and caretaker, Janis Crabtree; several other nieces and nephews.
J.B. was preceded in death by his parents, Benjamin Franklin and Anna Buchanan; beloved wife of 59 years, Mary “Polly” Buchanan; brothers, George “Bus” Buchanan and Donald Ray Buchanan; sister, Vida Lee Buchanan Jones.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 from 11 am to 1 pm at the First Baptist Church in Paducah, Kentucky.
Music will be provided by Melissa and Spencer Hawkins, soloists and Lucretia Jackson, pianist.
Pallbearers will be his grandsons, Ben Buchanan, Brent Buchanan, Ryan Smith, Will Smith, Jay Smith, and Stephen Burgess.
Memorials may be made to Gideon’s International, c/o First Baptist Church of Paducah, 2890 Broadway, Paducah, Kentucky 42001.
Online condolences may be left at www.aikinsfarmer-millerfh.com
