William Buchanan

William Edward Buchanan, 76, of West Liberty, Pa., passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, at Butler Memorial Hospital following a three-week battle with COVID-19.

Bill was born in New Castle on March 13, 1945, to John Wilbur Buchanan and June Agnes (Evans) Buchanan of New Castle. He grew up in Wampum, Pa., on Turkey Hill and attended Shenango High School.

In the summer of '69, Bill met the love of his life, Doris E. McGowan. They were engaged on Nov. 2, 1969, and married Dec. 12, 1969, at St. Peter Catholic Church. Following their nuptials, they moved to West Liberty.

Bill retired as a mill operator in 2007 after 31 years at Allegheny Mineral Corp. at the Harrisville plant.

He was an active member of his community, serving on West Liberty Borough Council starting in 1987, and serving as president the following year. He maintained this position from 1988-2013, retired briefly, and then was elected again to serve as president in 2015, where he continued to lead until his death. In this role, he served West Liberty for a total of 31 years.

He was a fiscally conservative Republican and ran the community well on a very limited budget. He found a way to maintain the roads, keep taxes low, and always keep peace with neighborhood disputes. Bill was the emergency management coordinator for West Liberty borough as well.

Bill was a Christian by faith, attending West Liberty United Methodist Church, where he sang in the choir for a few years.

He enjoyed tinkering with cars, and his passion was playing guitar, which he had played beginning at the early age of 10. Bill would entertain with his guitar by playing and singing. He told funny stories and his frequent and quick “Dad jokes” made everyone laugh.

Bill was passionate about sports and loved watching games at all levels, from local to professional. His favorite team was the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he watched almost every single game they played since his childhood.

Survivors include his children, Amy Sedwick of Cedar Lake, Ind., Matt Buchanan and his wife, Erin, of Grove City, and Michelle Slater and her husband, John, of Slippery Rock; his brothers, John Buchanan Jr., and Thomas (Sally) Buchanan, and his sister, Margaret (Robert) Miller, all of New Castle; his grandchildren, Steven, Benjamin and Elizabeth Sedwick, Alyssa Kelly, Tori Slater, Coleman, Caitlyn, Hannah, Shay and Reagan Buchanan, and Dalton and Madison Arblaster; his great-grandchildren, Jasmina and Aubrey Kelly; and his best canine friend, Moose.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Doris; an infant brother and infant sister; his sister-in-law, Kathy; his brother-in-law, Pat; his sister-in-law, Pam; and his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Pat and Clara.

BUCHANAN — The family of William Edward Buchanan, who died Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, will receive friends from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at Smith Funeral Home, 421 New Castle St., Slippery Rock, on Friday.

Family will receive friends from 10 a.m. until the time of the service at 11 a.m. Saturday at Camp Crestfield, 195 Taggart Road, Slippery Rock.

A service to celebrate Bill's life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Camp Crestfield with Pastor Paul Hoover presiding.

Interment will be in West Liberty Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be given to Butler County Alliance for Children Child Advocacy Center, 101 Mahood Road, Butler, PA 16001.