John Buchanan

John Douglas Buchanan, 79, formerly of Great Falls, passed away on Tuesday, April 28th 2015 at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota following a lengthy battle with acute pancreatitis.A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 9, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at O'Connor Memorial Chapel, 2425 8th Ave North, Great Falls, Montana. Schnider Funeral Home is handling arrangements.John was born December 28, 1935 in Dundas, Ontario, Canada. In his early years he lived in Canada, moved to Hollywood California and then came to Montana at the age of 17. He worked in the oil fields near Kevin, Montana, joined the U. S. Army then became a U.S. citizen.He moved to Great Falls, Montana and began his career selling Singer sewing machines. John entered the real estate business and with Lee Castleman started B&C Realty. While involved in real estate, John branched out to develop land subdivisions, commercial buildings and large multifamily housing projects in Great Falls, and other Montana communities plus a very large multifamily project in Anchorage, Alaska. Buchanan Enterprises again branched into lending, investments and portfolio management.John was blessed with a son- in- law, Charlie Byrne who joined John as a partner in the business. John and his wife Sheila developed a small bank charter Fidelity Savings and Loan which eventually became Heritage Bank. They sold the bank in 1996 and in 2000 they retired to Big Fork, Montana.John was enthusiastic about his work as well as his many recreational activities. These included a regimented exercise program, skiing, water sports, golf, hiking and especially hunting and fishing. John raised his daughter Barb from an early age to be his best hunting partner. Together they enjoyed many hunting expeditions including a great trip to Africa. John was fortunate to hunt with his many friends and grandsons. These hunting trips were full of love and laughter.John and Sheila traveled the globe extensively and always looked into the far corners of the earth for new adventures. John involved his family and many friends in all these activities creating treasured memories for everyone. John was a pilot and flew his own planes for over 50 years. In his semi- retirement he captained his own boat through the Inland Passage from Washington to Alaska many times. John's crew was always friends and family, however, sometimes his only crew was his wife Sheila. She performed many duties and occasionally called mutiny for calmer waters.John is survived by his wife Sheila of 36 years; daughter Barb (Charlie) Byrne, by a previous marriage; Grandsons Todd (Kapri) Byrne and Devin Byrne; great grandchildren Eleanor, Troy, and Natalie Byrne all of Great Falls; granddaughter Rachael Keller of Austin, Texas; sister Jeannine Sohan of Montreal Quebec, Canada; brother-in-law Bryan (Linda) Flaherty; niece and nephews: Erynn Flaherty, Brendan Flaherty, Chad Bauer and Eric Bauer of Missoula.John is preceded in death by was his mother and father Adrienne and John Buchanan; and brother-in-law Tim Flaherty.In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made in John's name to the charity of your choice.Condolences for the family may be posted online at www.schniderfuneralhome.com