Tom Buchanan was raised in Harlan, Kentucky. He left there and moved to Detroit, Michigan where he was employed at the Chrysler Engine Plant in Trenton for 22 years. He retired from Chrysler in 1991.

Tom moved from Michigan to Corbin in 1996, and began working part-time at Vankirk-Grisell Funeral Home in 2004.

Tom lives in Corbin with his wife Vickie. He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, is a Kentucky Colonel, and is a member of Hugh Harris Lodge 938 F & AM. He enjoys playing the guitar and singing bluegrass music.