James (Jim) Ross Buchan

James Ross Buchan was born on December 28, 1943, the second of three sons of C. Harley and Louise (Jacobsen) Buchan. He was named for his grandfather, James Buchan. He passed away at home on December 4, 2022, surrounded by family after a valiant battle with cancer.

He attended grade school and high school in Henning. He headed out west with his older brother Don in 1962 after graduating from high school and worked in the pea and wheat harvests. He made frequent returns to Minnesota. He furthered his education at Moorhead State College in Minnesota and also at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, OR, and Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR.

In the May of 1967, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves and completed basic training at Fort Ord, CA, that September. He then transferred from a Fergus Falls reserve unit to a unit out west, where he completed his six years of military duty.

In the summer of 1973, he met the love of his life, Margaret Le Roux Donaldson, at the Marcus Whitman Ballroom. Margaret had five kids at the time they met. Their first date was taking her son to a local Padres baseball game. In 1974 he married Margaret, and they had two more children, for a total of seven children. Jim was dad to all seven.

Jim worked for the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin for 52 years as a sportswriter and later the sports editor, partially retiring in 2010, but he continued to write part-time until 2020. His life in the newspaper business actually started in Henning in the early 1960s. Lyn and Lois Johnson, owners of the Henning Advocate, hired him on a part-time basis to write Henning High School sports news and fold papers as they rolled off the press. He eventually became a printer’s devil and worked in all facets of the paper, that included his writing gig and running presses.

In 1990, Margaret and Jim purchased a historic home near the Whitman College campus and transformed the home and an adjacent carriage house into a bed-and-breakfast, Green Gables Inn. Together, they ran the business for the next 17 years before selling the business in 2007.

After retirement, he was able to spend time golfing and traveling the world with Margaret.

As a sportswriter, he was an avid sports fan. He started coaching Little League baseball in 1980 when sons Dan and Vade started playing. He continued coaching “The Teamsters” in Walla Walla’s Pacific Little League for another 22 years. He also loved to play sports. He was a runner for years, golfer, walker, bowler, racquetball player, gym goer, and participated in local basketball and softball leagues at different times in his life. Of all these activities, he loved golf most and was able to play daily with friends until the weather got cold this last October.

Jim was a devout Catholic, and his faith was of utmost importance to him. He was truly unique in that his behavior was always reflective of his belief. He “walked the walk,” so to speak. He was kind and selfless, always putting the needs of others before his own.

He had so many great qualities… too many to list, but his kids will tell you some of his greatest qualities were his jokes and his ability to tell a good joke. He LOVED music and was a hard-core “parrot head.” Family was first for him, and he was an active participant in all things related to his kids and grandkids. He was the family “baby whisperer” and was always able to soothe a fussy grandbaby with his calm and gentle demeanor. He was dubbed “Grandpa Goofy” by his grandkids for his ability to impersonate the Disney character, delighting the grandkids! The qualities that stood out most, however, were his love, loyalty, and selflessness. He always saw the best in his children, even when they couldn’t, and right or wrong, he was always on their side. There is not enough time or space to mention all the wonderful parts of him. He was and still is, adored by his kids, grandkids, other family, and friends, and his absence will forever be felt by those who knew and loved him.

Jim leaves behind his brother Cliff Buchan (Jeanne), children Michele Daniels (Jim), Tim Donaldson (Katherine), Miriam Grant (Mark), Vade Donaldson (Sara), Dan Donaldson (Andrea), Anne Buchan (Robert Sickels), Aaron Buchan, 21 grandkids, and six great-grandkids. He will be greatly missed by his family and many friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Louise (Jacobsen) and Harley Buchan, his wife Margaret, and his brother Don.

A public recitation of the Rosary in Jim’s honor will take place at the Chapel of the Herring Funeral Home on Thursday, December 15, 2022, at 6:00 PM, with Daniel Donaldson officiating. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Assumption Catholic Church on Friday, December 16, 2022, at 10:00 AM, with Father Matthew Nicks celebrating with interment to follow at Mountain View Cemetery. There will be a reception following the interment at the Assumption Church Parish Hall. You need not be Catholic to attend his Rosary or funeral Mass.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Walla Walla Pacific Little League, St. Francis Catholic Church, or Assumption Catholic Church through the Herring Groseclose Funeral Home, 315 W. Alder St., Walla Walla, WA 99362. In addition, friends and family are invited to sign the online guestbook at www.herringgroseclose.com.