Obituary of Donal Browning Buchanan

Donal Browning Buchanan, born in Kobe, Japan, on June 16, 1928, died on March 24, 2019. Donal was the son of missionary parents Percival Wilson Buchanan and Clara Mildred Browning Buchanan. He grew up in Nagoya and Nojiri, Japan. Donal graduated form Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia in 1946, and from the University of Colorado in 1951. He worked for the Central Intelligence Agency for 25 year, serving in the US and overseas (Japan, India, and Vietnam) as a research analyst and counter-intelligence officer. For many years Donal was the official genealogist for the Clan Buchanan Society. Throughout his life, Don was a poet, artist, cartoonist, novelist, and composer. In retirement, Don delved deeply into linguistic and epigraphic research, deciphering a number of inscriptions from France, Spain, and Portugal as well as various Ogham, Etruscan and Old Italian inscriptions. He has many epigraphic publications including the Decipherment of Southwest Iberic, and Epigraphic Society Special Publication, 1991. The Epigraphic Society is a non-profit educational organization that encourages the study of ancient inscriptions and scripts. Donal became production editor for the Society’s publication ESOP (Epigraphic Society Occasional Papers) in 1994 and chief editor in 2004. Donal is survived by his wife Ann Buchanan of Danvers, his sons and daughter-in-law, Martin and Mimi Buchanan of Laramie, Wyoming, and Patrick and three grandchildren, Ryan, Nancy, and Kristy Buchanan all of Galesburg, Michigan. Don is also survived by his step-daughter Frances Meere Frisella and her husband Peter and their daughter Madeleine and step-son Patrick Meere and his daughters Molly and Claire Meere of Chantilly, Virginia. Donal was predeceased by his first wife, Nancy Lee Spence Buchanan and his sister Dorothy June Buchanan. A visitation will be held on Saturday from 10:00 AM until 11:00 AM at the Second Congregational Church, 35 Conant St, Beverly, followed by his Funeral Service at 11:00 AM to which relatives and friend are kindly invited to attend. Flowers, can be sent the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 82 Lynn St, Peabody. Contributions may be sent to the North Shore Elders Services, 300 Rosewood Drive, Suite 200, Danvers, MA 01923.