Paul Murray Buchanan

Retired Sedgwick County District Judge Paul Murray Buchanan, 91, died Wednesday, April 5, 2023, at Presbyterian Manor in Wichita. He was born June 9, 1931, at Osage City to Murray and Pluma Buchanan. On Nov. 24, 1967, he married Phyllis Bretches. Just the day before, he had celebrated Thanksgiving with his brother’s family, not giving any hint of his coming nuptials. He didn’t even tell his law firm. Instead, he had her send a telegram to the firm a couple of days later. “Mr. Buchanan won’t be in for a few days.” It was signed Mrs. Paul Buchanan.They enjoyed 55 years of marriage, sharing a love for travel, including to Kenya and China, art, history and most importantly, their Christian religion.He is survived by his wife and multiple nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother.He received a bachelor’s degree in history from Sterling College in 1953 and then served two years as sergeant in the US Army Counterintelligence Corps. He graduated from the University of Kansas Law School with a Juris Doctor degree.He then served as a research clerk for the Kansas Supreme Court and later as a clerk to the late Federal District Judge Wesley Brown.In Wichita, he was an associate in the Aley, Morton and Darrah law firm for three years, then moved to Weigand, Curfman, Brainerd, et al as an associate. He was a full partner from 1969 to 1979 when the firm dissolved. He practiced on his own and served as assistant county counselor for three years before being elected as a Sedgwick County district judge. He served five full terms before being reaching the mandatory age of retirement.He was honored by the Kansas Bar Association for practicing law more than 50 years. He received the Distinguished Service Award from Sterling College in 2018.After his retirement from the bench, he volunteered to deliver blood across the state of Kansas, driving more than 100,000 miles for the American Red Cross.He also did a lot of woodworking in retirement, and focused on building replicas of a reference book stand designed by Thomas Jefferson. His dream was to present them to the justices of the Kansas Supreme Court and Kansas appeals court judges. At his death, he had six of the desks remaining, and they will be distributed to various judges. He would have been proud.He had a great love for shooting, having been a charter member of the National Rifle Association’s exclusive Golden Eagles. He also bought and sold many guns over the years, having amassed a collection of Colt service revolvers and long guns.He was an avid reader and book collector. He was especially proud of his books and memorabilia from Yellowstone National Park, where he worked summers while he was in college. He and Phyllis visited the park many times in subsequent years, including a winter trip to snowmobile.He built on his history degree over the years, becoming immersed in the Civil War. He was a member of the Wichita Bibliophiles, the Wichita Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Wichita Petroleum club, the American Museum of National History, and was a former director and president of the Kansas Historical Society.Funeral Service will be 10:00 am, Wednesday, April 12, 2023, at Eastminster Presbyterian Church, Wichita. A memorial has been established with: Eastminster Presbyterian Church, 1958 N. Webb Rd., Wichita, KS 67206.Services in care of Downing & Lahey Mortuary - East Chapel.

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