Tom was a true Patriot and he will be missed.
Posted on 03/08/2016 4:46:38 AM PST by BulletBobCo
Longtime political activist and founder of the Loveland 912 Project Tom Buchanan died Friday, and friends and family are hosting events to honor his memory this weekend.
Tom, 63, suffered a heart attack, and his family will hold a viewing at 5-7 p.m. Thursday at the Allnutt Funeral Home, 2100 N. Lincoln Ave.
His service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Message of Life Ministries, 605 18th St. SW, where the Loveland 912 Project meetings are typically held.
Those attending the funeral are invited to participate in a potluck following the service.
Additionally, friends and family will be hosting a Tribute to Tom Rally at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Hammond Amphitheater at Lake Loveland at 29th Street and Taft Avenue.
Friends are also collecting donations to help the family cover costs at https://www.gofundme.com/wtssewqk.
Tom's wife Dorié said she admired Tom's artistic talents, his "get 'er done" attitude and his green thumb.
Dorié and Tom had been married for more than 27 years and raised 10 children together.
"He was always ready to help someone," she said of her husband. "He was a rabble-rouser, too, and everybody knows him as that."
Tom served for three years in the Marine Corps, ran for elected office, helped candidates running for office with their campaigns, led projects with the Marine Corps League, worked with veterans and assisted others through various groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous — Tom himself had been sober since 1985.
And up until his death, Tom worked at Ricoh, a subsidiary of IBM, full time. He worked with the company for about 30 years.
Tom was a political activist, working on issues he cared about from the Loveland 912 Project — a group "committed through our actions and efforts to defend the Constitution and restore the Republic to its founding principles" — to working on a petition to abolish the food sales tax in Loveland.
As a hobby, in addition to other types of art, he loved photography and taking pictures of sunrises and sunsets.
Dorié said while Tom could put on a tough demeanor, he could also be soft, and had a great sense of humor.
His email address, for example, began with "five_toes," in reference to having lost one of his legs, she said with a laugh.
Tom's son Steven echoed his mother's sentiments.
"I want people to remember what his involvement in the community was. He was more than just Tom Buchanan. He helped people out constantly," he said.
Following in Tom's footsteps, Steven joined the Navy.
"He's kind of been the moral compass, kind of keeping people focused on doing the right thing, no matter what the cost is to you," Steven said.
Dorié said Tom was the person who used to orchestrate the singing of "God Bless America" at any events he would attend. "It was almost his trademark to the point that people would be expecting it," she said.
And for 27 years, he was the person rallying people at North Lake Park on Independence Day with his bullhorn, she said.
"People looked forward to him showing up every year and practicing the 'ooh, ahh, wow look at that' for when the fireworks would display," she said.
Republican Sen. Vicki Marble said she met Tom in 2006 through the Larimer County GOP. Tom was serving as the sergeant-at-arms at the time, and Marble said she got to know him better through the Loveland 912 Project and the Marine Corps League.
"Tom was one of my best friends. He was an inspiration to all who knew him," Marble said.
She said if it weren't for Tom, she wouldn't be in office today.
"To Tom, no one was a stranger; everyone had a purpose and potential. In that, Tom would be their greatest petitioner and motivator to be the best they could be," she said.
Tom wasn't one to mince words, according to Marble, or not let his thoughts be known.
"I just don't know of anybody who had love for our great nation and our Constitution more. He just could never get enough," she said.
City Councilor Hugh McKean shared Marble's views about Tom.
"He was one of the toughest, smartest guys I've known. It took me a while to really get to know him. He would tell me to call him and I'd get him at work, at IBM. He'd say 'I've got to get out where I get a signal,' and you'd hear him get his crutches and go out in the hall to talk. Try walking with crutches and talking on the phone sometime," McKean said.
"He helped me be a better servant, gave me good advice, suggested things I should probably ask. More than once he told me to calm down and take things in stride, 'Like I'd know a lot about taking a stride!' he'd say. He was one of my very favorite people in the world," McKean said.
Tom was a true Patriot and he will be missed.
I’m so sorry to hear of his sudden passing. He obviously made a difference and touched many lives. My prayers for his family and friends.
No man dies if he leaves a legacy.
Onward, 5toes
A wonderful obituary.
Any of us would be pleased with just one-fifth of Tom’s accomplishments in life.
Prayers for his wife and family.
He was a Freeper to be emulated, and a credit to this site and to the cause of freedom.
Always faithful you were, Tom.
Semper Fi Bump
Sounds like he was an outstanding American. Thanks for posting this.
Looked like a Great American, RIP.
I’m glad I never got into a dispute with Fivetoes. . and
Twinkie gets on the wrong side of some on here, especially
the grouchy ones like Laz A. Mataz who (unfairly) picks on
Twinkie & many other innocent Freepers. - RIP, Fivetoes!
Sound like he lead a great life. Prayers to the family of Five.
Tom was a great guy. I saw him a lot back when the Tyranny Response Team was active. I guess most of us are still active, just in other ways.
Flags are lowered to half-staff this week in his honor. In 2010, Sgt. Tom Buchanan donated all the school's classroom Flags as part of the school's first Torch Trek celebration -- days before the school's grand opening.
He has a great FR homepage.
Godspeed, marine.
Saying a prayer for his family..
What's really a shame about going back a number of years to look at old FReports of Operation Infinite Freedom rallies is that all the photos are missing, because those of us who posted these files placed the photos on servers that have long since disappeared, leaving links that go nowhere. It's like reading a heavily redacted document where large black rectangles blot out all the interesting parts. Sigh!
Schedule:
* Memorial Service Saturday at 2pm at Loveland's Message of Life Ministries, 605 18th St SW.
* Tribute to Tom Rally, Sunday at 1pm at 29th & Taft.
* Also a viewing Thu that I don't plan to attend, because I want to remember him as I recently saw him last.
Tom gave me a DVD of photos from a few of the events. I try to find it.
Tomorrow is the Tribute To Tom Rally at 1pm at the park on the SW corner of 29th & Taft in Loveland.
Three Colorado State Senators (one retired, two active) spoke at the service. One of them is planning to sponsor a bill to rename a nearby overpass over I-25 (that was Tom's favorite when it came to organizing Support Our Troops rallies with hanging flags and large homemade signs) to be "Buchanan Bridge" or a name close to that.
Many good tributes to him, a Marine Color Guard, a 21-gun salute, the flag-folding ceremony and so on.
One song of course was an audience-wide acapella of God Bless America that sounded really great ... which is surprising, given the way most audience acapella singing goes. Two songs by a guitarist/singer. And one recorded song over the loudspeakers which I'd never heard before, but was quite emotional and very appropriate for the circumstances of Tom's passing. It starts with: "I didn't know today would be our last. Or that I'd have to say goodbye to you so fast. I'm so numb, I can't feel anymore. Prayin' you'd just walk back through that door. And tell me that I was only dreamin'" I looked it up on youtube: Jenn Bostic - Jealous of the Angels - "Official Video or the Sound track with lyrics
RIP Fivetoes!
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