Ernest Buchanan

Ernest Buchanan, born December 7, 1937, in Eastman, Georgia, passed away on September 11, 2026. After graduating high school in 1956, Ernest continued a family tradition by proudly serving in the U.S. Navy. Following his military service, he pursued an A&P license at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Miami. It was there he met Patricia Loveland, and after a whirlwind three-month courtship, they married.

Ernest dedicated his career to aviation maintenance, working for various aircraft manufacturers before joining Eastern Air Lines, where he was employed until its closure in 1989. He concluded his working career as the supervisor of the aircraft hangar building maintenance crew at the Atlanta airport.

The travel benefits from his airline career allowed Ernest to take his family on many memorable trips. Alaska became a cherished destination, offering opportunities for salmon fishing and sightseeing with friends.

A man of deep faith, Ernest was a devoted churchgoer throughout his life. He participated in several mission trips to the Philippines with a childhood friend who managed a Southern Baptist Convention missionary outpost in a rural mountainous area. He also held a profound love for the Holy Land, visiting Israel three times.

He passed away just ten days after celebrating his 65th wedding anniversary with Patricia, the red-haired nurse he met in his church training union class in 1961.

Along with his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Walter Jefferson Buchanan and sisters, Rachel Floye Lush and Betty Jean Buchanan.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years: Pat Buchanan; children: Jeffery John Buchanan (Jerelyn) and Junilynn Privee (Jim); grandchildren: Jonathan Stewart Buchanan, Savannah Beth Buchanan, David Austin Buchanan, Jordan Ivan Buchanan, Maggie Breanna Sutherland (Alex Wing), James Michael Privee (Anna), and Madeline Reagan Privee; great-grandchildren: Aurrie Jo Buchanan and Everly Rae Buchanan; and several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, September 14, 2026, in Mt. View Baptist Church, 2569 Jeff Davis Road, Thomaston. Dr. Rex King and Dr. Ryan Christopher will officiate. Burial, with military honors, will follow in Moody Memorial Gardens in Zebulon.

Friends may visit the family on Monday, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., at the church.