Itha L. (Lord) Buchanan

Itha Buchanan, 86, of Rowan passed away Sunday, May 29, 2016 at the Clarion Wellness and Rehabilitation Center in Clarion.

Funeral services for Itha Buchanan will be held at 2:00 PM on Thursday, June 2, 2016 at the United Church of Rowan, 811 Pesch Street in Rowan, with Pastor Nancy Hofmeister officiating. Burial will take place at Graceland Cemetery in Rowan.

Visitation will be held one hour prior to services at the church on Thursday.

Itha Lorraine (Lord) Buchanan was born June 26, 1929 to Vern and Beulah (Wilkenson) Lord in Popejoy, Iowa. She was raised in the Popejoy and Hampton areas.

Following high school, Itha worked at Maytag in Hampton until she met and married Fredrick “Fritz” Buchanan on February 7, 1954 in Hampton.

Itha worked as a nurse’s aid for many years, primarily at the Dows care center, and later did home care and babysitting in Rowan.

Itha was a member of the United Church of Rowan, the American Legion Auxiliary, and the “Come Join Us” club in Rowan.

Itha enjoyed crocheting, reading western novels and working on puzzle books. In her younger years, she and Fritz always had a large vegetable garden and she was always canning and making apple butter. She enjoyed visiting her out of state children and grandchildren in Florida and California.

Itha is survived by her children Melanie (Fidencio) Becerra of Sacramento, California, Vern (Karen) Buchanan of Indian Harbor Beach, Florida, and Belinda Buchanan of Rowan; grandchildren Rachel Becerra and Justin Buchanan; sisters-in-law Jane Lord, Mary Balvanz and Gladys Buchanan; along with several nieces and nephews, other relatives and favorite cats Angel, Calico, Betsy and Moonbeam.

Itha was preceded in death by her husband Fredrick “Fritz” Buchanan in 1987, sister Iona Renshaw, brother Maynard Lord and brother Darvin Lord.