Dorothy Mildred Buchanan

Dorothy Mildred Buchanan died peacefully on March 4, 2012, from natural causes at the family home on Flathead Lake, surrounded by family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Edwin Graham Buchanan, M.D., her son Bradford Edwin Buchanan, and a granddaughter, Heather Buchanan Moore. She is survived by her sister, Jean Ingalls Needham of Venice, Fla., her son, Wayne Graham Buchanan of Polson, daughters, Barbara Ann Aiko of Polson, Dianne Dorothy Mutch of Sun City, Calif., Judith Jean Billings of Concord, Calif., 11 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.

Dorothy was born in Rutland, Vt., on Aug. 25, 1915, to Chester Arthur Ingalls and Sarah Belle Noyes Ingalls. She grew up with her brother and three sisters in a rural home in Middlebury, Vt. She earned a registered nursing (R.N.) degree from the Rutland Hospital School of Nursing in 1938. Dorothy and Ed were married on March 25, 1938 in Rutland.

The family moved from Philadelphia, Pa., to Missoula, Mont. in 1948. Ed was a Pathologist at St. Patrick and Community hospitals. Dorothy practiced nursing and managed the Buchanan Medical Laboratory until the couple retired in 1985 to their beloved home on Flathead Lake. The family members were avid skiers. Dorothy served on the Rocky Mountain Ski Association and the National Ski Association Boards of Directors. In 1983, the Missoulian presented Dorothy and Ed with the Missoulian Cup Award for their service to skiing in Western Montana.

The family would like to recognize Amy Gardipe and Luella Bushar whose loving care and expertise made it possible for Dorothy to remain in her home for the last year of her life.

The family would ask that in lieu of flowers a donation be made to Partners Hospice of Missoula who provided comfort and support for Dorothy in her final months. Cremation has taken place at Grogan Funeral Home in Polson. A celebration of Dorothy’s life will be scheduled for this summer on a date to be announced.

Dorothy’s last view of this life was a brilliant Flathead sunset and a flock of Canada geese landing on a small patch of open water in the East Bay. As she often remarked, “It doesn’t get any better than this.”

Messages of condolences may be shared with the family online at www.groganfuneralhome.com