Willena Gayle Buchanan, long time Manteca resident and teacher at Golden West Elementary, passed away March 3, 2013, after an extended battle with cancer.

Born in 1948 in Plainview, Texas, to Charles W. “Bill” and Lena Buchanan, the family moved to Manteca in 1957 where she completed elementary and high schools, attended San Joaquin Delta Junior College in Stockton and then completed her college and teaching credential at California Baptist College in Riverside, CA. She attended and served in First Baptist Church, Manteca.

She is survived by a sister, Sharon Morse and her husband David; a brother Ralph Buchanan and his wife Debbie, all of Oregon; a nephew Caleb Chas Buchanand and his wife  Amanda, of Seattle, WA; nephew Galen Morse and his wife Faith and niece Shawna Buchanan, all of Oregon. She also has two grand-nieces, Clover and Sage Buchanan, of Seattle, WA.

A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, March 9, 2013, at 1:00 PM, at First Baptist Church, 715 E. North St., Manteca, CA . A fellowship time will follow the service. Remembrances can be made to the First Baptist Church, Manteca, CA. or to the Center for Human Services Pathway, 700 Norwegian, Modesto, CA (a transitional living program for homeless between ages of 18 to 21 years).

Manteca (Calif.) Bulletin
Thursday, March 7, 2013