Hilda Buchanan
In Memory of
Hilda Bateman
Buchanan
1928 -
2017

Obituary for Hilda Bateman Buchanan

Hilda Bateman  Buchanan
Hilda Grace Bateman Buchanan, 89, died on Tuesday, August 29, 2017, in Salem, Va.

Born in Williamsburg, Va. on Saturday, June 30, 1928, she was the daughter of the late Seaton C. Bateman and Helen Dixon Bateman. Raised in Williamsburg, she graduated from Matthew Whaley High School in 1945, and then attended Madison College and the College of William and Mary. She met her husband, Patrick C. Buchanan, Sr., while they were both working at the Williamsburg Theatre, and they were married on June 14, 1948, a marriage which lasted sixty-seven years, until his death in 2015. She accompanied her husband on his overseas and domestic tours as a career intelligence officer, and raised four sons as the family moved from place to place, including Saipan, N.M.I., the Republic of Viet Nam, and Bogota, Colombia. She lived with her family in the same house in Williamsburg for 40 years before moving to Roanoke in 2006, and to Salem Terrace in 2014.

A woman known for her wit, humor and social charm, she adopted her son’s friends as her own family, keeping up with them throughout her life. Her passions included reading science fiction and fantasy, a taste which she passed on to all four of her sons. Family was all important to her, and she avidly kept up with her sons and their families, nephews and nieces and extended family and friends.

In addition to her parents and her husband, she was preceded in death by her sister, Carolyn B. Warburton; and her brothers, Seaton C. “Buck” Bateman, James W. Bateman, and Clarence H. “Sugar” Bateman.

Surviving are her sons, Patrick C. Buchanan, Jr. and his wife, Patty Powell, of Roanoke, John P. Buchanan and his wife, Elizabeth, of Fredericksburg, Bruce C. Buchanan and his wife, Judy, of Amelia Island, Fla., and David S. Buchanan and his wife, Michele, of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.; seven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

The family is grateful to Salem Terrace staff and Generation Solutions aides, in particular Mrs. Verna Brown, for the devoted care they provided to Hilda throughout her recent illness.

A memorial service will be conducted at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 7, 2017, at the Williamsburg United Methodist Church located at 500 Jamestown Road. Interment will be held at the Williamsburg Memorial Park immediately following church service. A luncheon reception will immediately follow interment.

Memorial donations may be made to the Salem Public Library in Salem, Va. Online condolences may be expressed at www.johnmoakey.com.
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