Travis L. Buckhanan J

r.

Travis L. Buckhanan Jr. passed away Sept. 20, 2022, at the age of 61. Travis was born July 21, 1961, in Freestone County to Travis L. and Sheila J. (Hall) Buckhanan. His dad worked at Safeway in Mexia, while his mother worked in childcare and as a cook.

His siblings are Beverly and William. Their dad passed away when they were young, causing them to be raised on their grandparents’ farm on Farmto- Market Road 27, in Wortham. There was only one other family nearby – the Warrens. They would crawdad fish, swim in people’s ponds, set up obstacle courses and play childhood games.

Travis especially loved sports as a child. He played in school, worked with Gene Price helping the youth baseball teams and did fantasy football. He would play tackle football with his cousins and the Warrens – especially in the rain. After playing, they would have to hose down.

Travis loved church and choir. When he lived in Corsicana, he would often travel with the choir to sing at nursing homes and jails, spreading God’s word through song. This led to his later love of gospel music. He also enjoyed grilling, and actually won third place at a cookoff once. Travis attended Wortham schools for 12 years, where he loved math, science and of course sports. He enjoyed being around his classmates, and helping out with the youth group from church.

Travis had many jobs in his lifetime. He was in the Army, and went through boot camp at Fort Sill. Before he was honorably discharged, he ran movies from the projection room. Of course, he always bragged he was the best. The longest job he had was at a warehouse, Berry Barnett, in Mexia. He worked in every area, from loading and unloading, in packing, to assistant night supervisor. He used to say everyone could tell if he was the one who loaded the truck, because it was always done right. He also enjoyed working the forklift there. He just wanted to go out and do his job.

In his free time, Travis loved sports. From coaching and playing to doing sports games on TV , he loved it all. He also liked movies. He remained devoted to his family, and enjoyed all holiday gatherings. He especially enjoyed listening to his grandparents talk and tell old stories about the family. He loved food, especially fresh veggies and fruit grown in the garden. He also loved anything his grandmother was cooking, which was whatever Travis’ uncle brought home: deer meat, fish, squirrel or rabbit. Travis wanted to be liked by everyone. He was a member of First Baptist Church of Wortham, and lived his faith in service to others. In his kindness, he helped without ever expecting a reward. He always gave of himself – often to families in need. He especially loved his nieces and nephews. Travis leaves behind his sister, Beverly Buckhanan (and Robert Lee); his niece, Mary Mulneix, and nephew, Zachary Lee; his great-nephew, Daniel Mulneix; his brother ,William Buckhanan (and Cheree with her two beautiful daughters, Wendy Walsh and Sandra Murdock); his niece, Tailyn Buckhanan; his great-nieces and nephews, Charlie Watson, Kaylee Watson, Esmerelda Berry, Scarlet Ogden, Junior Ogden, Cory Ogden, Keegan Ogden and Trinity Jones. To honor his life, Travis’ family had a memorial service and celebration of life at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, at Community Fellowship Church.

Corley-Porter Funeral Home is honored to handle the arrangements for Travis L. Buckhanan, Jr.