William Christopher "Bill" Buchanan, Jr. Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

William C. Buchanan, Jr., age 89, of Decatur, passed away September 21, 2020, at his residence. His family will host a Celebration of Life at a later date. Anyone wanting to express condolences to the family or recount stories is encouraged to send a card to P. O. Box 805, Decatur, AL 35602. Bill is survived by his wife of 67 years, JoAnne Eady Buchanan; his three children and their spouses, Dawn Ledbetter (Doyle), Denise Radzieta (David), and Chris Buchanan (Marsha); three grandchildren, Nathan Parker (Ansley), Andrew Parker, and Lisa Ledbetter; and one great-grandson, Hank. He was preceded in death by his brother, Gordon H. Buchanan, and his parents. He was born in 1931, in Waycross, Georgia, to William and Audrey Buchanan. During his teen years, he grew up on a bluff on the Satilla River about 9 miles from the small town of Woodbine, Georgia. He loved to hunt on the property, which was 3800 acres of beautiful wooded land. He also did a lot of fishing on the river during the summer. He was proud to be a Sigma Chi at Georgia Tech, where he graduated in 1953. He spent two years in the Army, some of which was during the Korean War. He left the Army in 1956 as a 1st Lieutenant and Company Commander in the 49th Chemical Company. He began his career as an engineer with Chemstrand in Pensacola, Florida in 1956, transferring with the company to Charlotte, North Carolina, and then to Decatur, Alabama in 1970. He retired from Chemstrand/Monsanto/Solutia in 1985 as a Senior Engineer. He was an entrepreneur and started up The Athletes Feet shoe store in 1973. It was the first athletic shoe store in Alabama. The Athletes Feet was chosen by the City of Decatur as the 1992 Outstanding Small Business in Decatur. He also served on the Decatur Board of Business Development for two years. He sold the store in 1999. He was a golf enthusiast and played 36 years at Burningtree Country Club. He won the Burningtree Club Championship in 1988. He had also won seven club championships in Pensacola, and numerous tournaments. He was proud of having 11 Holes in One over the years. He was a member of Central Baptist Church.

William Christopher "Bill" Buchanan, Jr.

March 6, 1931 - September 21, 2020