Herbert Lee Buchanan Sr (aka “Big Herb”), 66, of Fayetteville, AR was born August 3, 1956 and passed away December 21, 2022.

Herb was born in Fayetteville, AR but was raised in Alexandria, Louisiana.  He later returned to Fayetteville where he met his wife Anni.  Together they put down roots, raised three unusually interesting children, and became pillars of their community.  Big Herb was the coolest cat you ever met, with a smile that was both electric and contagious.  He was uncommonly charming and stubborn in equal measure with a dry, razor sharp wit that was a perfect compliment to the deepest, most boisterous belly laugh anyone has ever heard.

No doubt due to his Louisiana upbringing, Herb made the best gumbo outside the Bayou.  As a lover of football he was a proudly devoted supporter of the LSU Tigers and New Orleans Saints.  Herb was a US Air Force Veteran and the first African American Mail Carrier for the United States Postal Service in the history of Springdale, Arkansas.  He later became a bus driver for Fayetteville Public Schools before retiring in 2020.

Herb was the greatest of fathers and heroes for his three children: Herbert Lee “Boo” Buchanan Jr., Alessandra Jade Brown, and Alyssa Noelle Buchanan.  However, he was also a father figure and mentor to a great many other souls who had the life-changing good fortune to benefit from his generosity, wisdom, and love.  In addition to his three children, Herb is leaving behind a granddaughter, Anni Jade Brown; two grandsons, Malcolm Joseph Buchanan and Howard Victor Buchanan; a son-in-law, Ryan Brown; a daughter-in-law, Sarah Fennel Buchanan; a devoted and loving girlfriend, Karrie Larson; two sisters, Ledora Wafer and Judy Ritchie; his niece, Tammy Ritchie, his oldest friend, Ola Coleman; and a small adoring army of those who enjoyed the profound privilege to love and be loved by this truly amazing man.

Herb regarded meeting and marrying Anni and then raising their three children together in a loving and nurturing home to be his greatest accomplishment.  His children and grandchildren were the light of his life.  To know him well was to love him fiercely. He was an indelibly wonderful man whose spirt of service and commitment to making the world into a better place than he found it, will continue to be propagated by those of us who have been inspired by his example.  He will be missed desperately but never, ever forgotten.

He was predeceased by his wife Anni; his two brothers Paul and Howard; and both his beloved mother and grandmother Mary and Cora.

The family will receive friends from 1 – 3 PM on Saturday, January 21, 2023 at Beard’s Chapel in Fayetteville.  A Memorial Service in Herb’s honor is being planned for sometime in the spring (in late March or early April).  The family will make those details widely available once they have been confirmed.

Cremation arrangements by Beard’s Funeral Chapel.