Samuel (Sam) Sidney Buchanan, Jr
Samuel (Sam) Sidney Buchanan, Jr., age 79, resident of the Northside Villa Assisted Care home in Rochelle, passed away Wednesday, March 5 of natural causes.
Born August 1, 1945, in Americus, GA, he was the son of the late Rev. Samuel Buchanan, Sr., and his wife, the late Shirley Middlebrooks.
Sam was self-employed for most of his adult life and for most of these years was owner/operator of one of the iconic pecan stores on Interstate 75 in Cordele, GA, where he greeted all customers with a hearty welcome and convivial conversation peppered with his seemingly endless supply of good-natured jokes. So taken were many of his customers with his personality that they became repeat visitors on their annual trips to and from their winter homes in Florida.
Sam’s father was a United Methodist minister, and so Sam and his siblings grew up in Methodist parsonages scattered across south Georgia, including Rochelle, Valdosta, Moultrie, Albany, and Soperton, among others. Though Sam’s favorite was Soperton. It was here that he spent his high school years, graduating in 1964 from Treutlen County High School. It was here that he met the love of his life, Suzanne Brown. Theirs was a classic high school romance, with Sam playing varsity and Suzanne serving on the cheerleading squad. Shortly after their 1964 high school graduation they were married at the Soperton First United Methodist Church, with Sam’s father performing the ceremony. The couple had three children: Shea (Ted) of The Villages, FL; Scott, of Soperton; and Samantha, of Perry, GA. Though the couple eventually divorced, his ex-wife and all three of his children were by his side when he passed.
Other survivors include his brother, William (Mary) of Clarion, PA; his sister, Rebecca, of Georgetown, TX; and his sister Iris (Bob), of Tucson, AZ; two grandchildren, Emily Graham and Clae Graham and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.
A graveside service will be held Saturday, March 8, 2025 at 11 AM at Fowler Cemetery in Treutlen County with Reverend Chad Cofield officiating. Visitation will begin at 10 AM at Higgs Funeral Home.
Born August 1, 1945, in Americus, GA, he was the son of the late Rev. Samuel Buchanan, Sr., and his wife, the late Shirley Middlebrooks.
Sam was self-employed for most of his adult life and for most of these years was owner/operator of one of the iconic pecan stores on Interstate 75 in Cordele, GA, where he greeted all customers with a hearty welcome and convivial conversation peppered with his seemingly endless supply of good-natured jokes. So taken were many of his customers with his personality that they became repeat visitors on their annual trips to and from their winter homes in Florida.
Sam’s father was a United Methodist minister, and so Sam and his siblings grew up in Methodist parsonages scattered across south Georgia, including Rochelle, Valdosta, Moultrie, Albany, and Soperton, among others. Though Sam’s favorite was Soperton. It was here that he spent his high school years, graduating in 1964 from Treutlen County High School. It was here that he met the love of his life, Suzanne Brown. Theirs was a classic high school romance, with Sam playing varsity and Suzanne serving on the cheerleading squad. Shortly after their 1964 high school graduation they were married at the Soperton First United Methodist Church, with Sam’s father performing the ceremony. The couple had three children: Shea (Ted) of The Villages, FL; Scott, of Soperton; and Samantha, of Perry, GA. Though the couple eventually divorced, his ex-wife and all three of his children were by his side when he passed.
Other survivors include his brother, William (Mary) of Clarion, PA; his sister, Rebecca, of Georgetown, TX; and his sister Iris (Bob), of Tucson, AZ; two grandchildren, Emily Graham and Clae Graham and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.
A graveside service will be held Saturday, March 8, 2025 at 11 AM at Fowler Cemetery in Treutlen County with Reverend Chad Cofield officiating. Visitation will begin at 10 AM at Higgs Funeral Home.