Dayle Vernial "BUCK" Buchanan

Dayle Vernial Buchanan passed away at the age of 75 on September 06, 2025 surrounded by loved ones, and after enduring the effects of Parkinson's.
Even in his final days, Dayle reminded us that grace and laughter can exist side by side, and that a good spirit can outshine even the hardest battles. Although Parkinson's slowly silenced his body, it never touched his spirit. He kept smiling, kept joking, and kept teaching us what it means to live with courage.
Dayle Buchanan was born on March 01, 1950, in Ontario Oregon to Vernial Sylvester Buchanan and Verola Joyce Stander. He was the second child born of 3 children. Dayle went through all of his school years in Ontario, Oregon. He worked at the Skaggs Store and spotted spray planes on a local farm as a teenager. Dayle graduated from Ontario High School in 1968. From the start, Dayle was an athlete, and a friend to many. He participated in sports throughout his school years, earning the trust and companionship of teammates and friends who admired his grit and good humor. Dayle enrolled for his first years of college at Rick's College, today known as BYU-Idaho in Rexburg Idaho. He followed in his college education at University of Oregon in Eugene Oregon, then matriculated to Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario Oregon, which prepared him for a Bachelor's Degree in due time.
During the summers of the late 1960's and early 1970's, Dayle signed on with the Bureau of Land Management in Vale, Oregon, where he would begin to experience the call of rugged country and learn about the kind of demand that nature asks of you, when there are wildfires to fight and the teamwork it takes to subdue those wildfires. By the mid-1970s, Dayle began what became a lifelong career with the Malheur Bell Telephone Company. He worked as a cable repairman, climbing poles, braving storms, and restoring connections for friends and neighbors across the community. For the next almost 30 years, until retirement, he took pride in his work and in serving others.
It was at a Christmas party where Donna met Dayle for the first time, and it fascinated her of his bravery to be the only one wearing a bowtie. Little did Donna know that bold bowtie which fascinated her would one day belong to the man she'd marry. Their time dating included fun on the river which Dayle loved, and vehicle rides on backcountry roads that Donna loved. They were married on June 13, 1992 and they built a life of partnership and love together.
Five years later, on June 14, 1997, Dayle accomplished another milestone by completing his Bachelor's Degree in Science and Liberal Studies from Eastern Oregon University with a focus on History, showing that it's never too late to pursue knowledge and growth.
Retirement gave Dayle the chance to lean into one of his greatest joys: whitewater rafting. Dayle pursued the adventure of river rafting for almost as long as he had worked at the telephone company. Many knew him by his river name, "Buck." And he not only sought adventure on the rapids himself, but also dedicated time to passing on his skills to young men, and Scouts of his faith and church. His knowledge, patience, and enthusiasm for the river lives on in the memories of those he taught, many of whom still raft today, with his lessons in their hearts.
After retirement, Dayle also worked part-time delivering caskets for the Batesville Casket Company. Even in such a solemn line of work, his dry wit never left him. Because he dealt with the quality and cost of handling many caskets, he would tell his family with a grin, "When my time comes, just go for the cheap seats, when you have to buy a ticket to my casket moment." That humor remains a cherished reminder of how Dayle met life, with pragmatism, humility, and laughter.
Dayle's later years were marked by his journey with Parkinson's disease, which gradually limited his physical coordination. Yet even as his body slowed, his wit, love, and loyalty remained strong.
His was a life of hard work, adventure, humor, and love. And while we will surely miss his dry jokes and his presence, we celebrate a man whose legacy flows on like the rivers he loved.
Dayle is preceded in death by his oldest brother, Dennis Buchanan, and his father, Vernial Buchanan. Dayle is survived by his wife, Donna (Bergquist) Buchanan, his daughter, Ashley Buchanan, three stepchildren: Rian Livingston, Peter Graves, and Brye Graves, his mother Verola (Stander) Green, his step-mother Dartha Buchanan, his brother Larry (Florinda) Buchanan, step-brother Wayne Roy (Barbara) Davis, step-sister Karen (Kim) Reed, and too many nieces and nephews to name.
We are deeply grateful for the nurses and medical team at Ancora Health Services, that assisted in providing comfort, dignity, and kindness for Dayle throughout his journey.
Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at the Ontario Stake Center: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 1705 NW 4th Ave, in Ontario Oregon, 97914. Funeral Services Start: 10:30 a.m.
There are no graveside services, however Dayle Buchanan is buried at: Riverside Cemetery Park 1969 N River Rd, Payette Idaho, 83661.
Dayle Buchanan's Funeral Service can be viewed via Zoom: http://zoom.us/j/91550669717
We also hope to have a posted recording on YouTube following the service, searchable under Dayle Buchanan's name.