Wilbur Ross Buchanan, age 94, of Northwood, Iowa, died July 21, 2005 at the Lutheran Retirement Home, Northwood, Iowa.

Funeral service will be 2 p.m. Saturday, July 23, at the United Methodist Church of Albert Lea, with the Rev. John Bromeland officiating. Burial will be in the State Line Cemetery, rural Northwood. Visitation will be on Friday, July 22, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Schroeder & Sites Funeral Home, Northwood, Iowa.

Wilbur was born to Ross and Mabel (Gullickson) Buchanan on Aug. 3, 1910, at the Buchanan farm near Gordonsville. Wilbur attended a two-room grade school in Gordonsville. After eighth grade graduation, he attended high school in Northwood, Iowa, graduating in 1928. He was married to Nadine Dahl of Northwood on Aug. 28, 1938. They made their home on the Buchanan farm for 62 years. He fed beef cattle all his life until retiring at the age of 80. He was very proud to be a farmer.

He served on the school board of Dist. 50 of Gordonsville and was instrumental in the establishment of Glenville High School and served on the first school board for Dist. 241. He was active in the United Methodist Church in Gordonsville and helped build the new Gordonsville UMC Church in 1955. He became a member of Albert Lea UMC after the closing of the Gordonsville Church.

Wilbur and Nadine enjoyed square dancing and did a lot of traveling throughout the United States and Europe. He was very interested in automobiles, tractors, and trains, and talked about riding the train to Chicago and St. Paul to take the cattle to market. He enjoyed spending time with his family and telling his many memories of earlier times.

Wilbur is survived by two daughters: Sharyl Lunde of Northwood, and Susan and husband Gerald Lee of Albert Lea; one son, Brent and wife Nicola of Gordonsville; 12 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; one brother, Bruce Buchanan of Gordonsville; and one sister, Arcley Johnson of Northwood.

He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Nadine, in 2003; sister, Arlene Olson; and son-in-law, Einer Lunde.