I took a last minute trip to Utah/Wyoming last weekend. It was an amazing experience and I am glad I went. I got the chance to celebrate the life of an AMAZING man. If you ever really met him you understand.
You probably came to understand over a thick slice of homemade bread smothered in butter and raspberry freezer jam that came from the berry patch in the backyard. You probably felt like you had known the man for years or at least that he knew you, with the familiar friendship that was instantly offered along with some joke or memorized poem from the past.It makes me smile to think about.
What was his, was yours.
My niece took this picture of Grandpa Budd on Saturday November 28th at the annual Pead Family Thanksgiving Dinner. He went to bed Tuesday, Dec. 1 and passed away peacefully in his sleep.
My cousin Kammy posted this picture of HIS flag at half mast the day he died. It made us all laugh and cry at the same time. His flagpole is as crooked as his finger:) "luv u ole budd crooked finger!" - Hayley Woodard
Grandpa lost both of his parents in his teenage years and raised his younger siblings so the state wouldn't separate them and take them away. Him and Grandma also raised 9 kids of their own, plus three foster girls during the school year.
His little Brother Ballard was killed in the last days of WWII and my Gramps flew his flag almost every day to honor him. Our family, especially Grandpa, are extremely proud and grateful for Ballard's sacrifice. (In the last couple of months 4 different strangers randomly met grandpa and other family members. They shared stories of Ballard and his last days that answered some unknown questions of his war experience and death. God is kind.)
Over time the house and its surroundings aged with Grandma and Grandpa. It is strange to compare the house now with the images I have from my childhood. Where did the hedge go or the sprawling tree with the purplish leaves that shaded the front yard? What about the tall junipers, with their little fragrant sage-colored berries, that grew tall and doubled as a ladder to the brave cousins who would sneak on the roof? My Dad and his brothers laid the brick for the front flowerbed where the pansies grew.
I will miss the greatest backyard in the world. That place where I spent so many Sundays with cousins, eating salted watermelon and ice cream served with the same knife. I loved the colored cones imprinted with a new name like Lucy, Sally or Hank.
My biggest regret is that I didn't make it back to the house to see it one more time before it is forever changed. What about the giant glass grapes and the little porcelain grandma mouse rocking her grand baby mice?
My cousin Mandy wrote:
Best Darn Grandpa
grinning, dancing a jig for you,
with a smiling new babe
and a tootsie pop or two.
Hawaiian shirted, Basset-lover,
his wobbly walk,
calling a sister a brother.
crooked finger pointing directions,
teeth popping out
from all directions.
ice cream served up with a knife
bad jokes galore,
baseball-ed nights.
watermelon with salt,
slick back the hair,
a Star Valley Braves coat no matter what you wear.
the bright blue pickup, that ran just on fumes,
a kick "to the slats,"
the front pansies' blooms.
funny faces, cheeks with candy filled,
no use crying
over milk that had spilled.
loaves and loaves of homemade bread,
wonderful cards and letters that read:
"I love you, be good as Grandma would."
He wrote those just as long as he could.
fabled old stories or old cowboy poems
a warmth that always transformed
your house to a home.
the twinkling eyes, the sly old smile,
the cold feet and blankets...
more wood from the pile.
honor, integrity,
proud to be "Pead."
a "Star Valley Man,"
(the BEST kind of breed!)
husband, partner to Erma so dear,
one-of-a-kind Dad
year after year.
Grandpa to hundreds, to greats even more.
he's got a great start,
on the "sands of the shore."
overcame trials, heartache and cold.
left us a legacy,
more precious than gold.
hard work, love, faith in God,
lighting the way
on the path we should trod.
example, love, spiritual power,
each day lived
was this man's finest hour.
two endowments a week,
the life you lived,
your legacy--the last gift you would give.
Oh! the many things I will miss!
last, but not least,
your scratchy, old kiss.
dear Grandpa, I love you!
losing you's a shock,
'cause you're the BEST DARN GRANDPA ON THE WHOLE BLOCK!
Mandy Pead Green
Dec. 2, 2009
(She was lucky that the truck was painted such a bright blue. Her and Katie were able to patch it with toll paint when they wrecked it. It was a nice try:)
Obituary
GEORGE PEAD
George Budd Pead 1914 ~ 2009 George Budd Pead, 95, died Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at his home in Orem, Utah. He was born November 4, 1914, in Fairview, Wyoming, to Frederick and Henrietta Harmon Pead. He married Erma Erickson December 17, 1936, in the Logan Utah Temple. Erma passed away May 2, 2005. He was the first student with "4" letters in sports at Star Valley High School, Afton, Wyoming. He loved reading, learning and reciting poetry. He was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and Erma served a church mission in the Los Angeles Temple, in California. He is survived by Jeanette (Wayne) Denney, Salt Lake City; Jeanice (Monty) Harrison, Severance, CO; Jeraldine (Sherrill) Shorter, Orem; Ballard (Leah Mary) Pead, Orem; Brian (Corlie Ann) Pead, Layton; Orson (Donna) Pead, Orem; Debra (Michael) Woodard, St. George; Patricia Pead, Laverkin, all of Utah and Sylvia Pead, daughter-in-law. Also survived by 54 grandchildren, 155 great-grandchildren and 47 great-great-grandchildren; brothers Raymond Pead, Orem, Utah; Robert Pead, St. George, Utah and sister Marie Call, Afton, Wyoming. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Erma; son Fred; daughter-in-law Eileen; one brother, three sisters; one granddaughter and three great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 5, 2009, at 3:00 p.m. at the LDS Church located at 400 North 400 East, Orem, Utah. Family and friends may call Friday, December 4, 2009, from 6-8 p.m. at the Walker Sanderson Funeral Home, 646 East 800 North, Orem and from 1:45-2:45 p.m. Saturday prior to the services at the church. In Wyoming, additional services will be held at the Fairview, Osmond, Smoot Ward Chapel in Osmond on Sunday, December 6th from 6-8 p.m. and Monday, December 7th from 10-11:45 a.m. prior to the funeral service which will be held at 12 noon. Interment will be at the Fairview, Wyoming Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family at: www.walkerfamilymortuary.com
From cousin Arlen's Facebook:
I lost my grandpa on my mom's side today. He was a great example. Countless loaves of bread to go with Grandma's hundreds of baby blankets - What a fanastic duo - now reunited. We'll miss him.
"Everybody's Budd"
It didn’t take me long
To know that I belonged
To a family formed above
Centered on a God of love
Every child was so blessed
To feel such happiness
To know they were divine
And helped our grandpa shine
His love and faith portrayed
His life in simple ways
That family - matters most
You felt that when he prayed
The perfect combination
Of a man who lived his life
For the pleasure of others
His children and his wife
Just another great example
Of how this life can be
When times get a little tough
He’d be your friend indeed
Always fun to talk to
His stories made you laugh
How did he stay so positive?
When others would have cracked…
For those who never knew him
I feel sorry for your loss
The gift he gave his children
Was peace - we were never lost
Our hearts will ache for certain
We’ve lost one-of-a-kind
A man so strong but gentle
Is truly hard to find
I know that as he waits for us
He’ll find ways to be near
He’ll reach through the heavens
Just like he were here
There is a note of joy here
I hate to think where I’d be
If I weren’t granted in this life
That I was blessed a Pead
I’ll close with a prayer of thanks
And thank my God above
He let me know and love
Everybody’s Budd.
Arlen Denney
02 December 2009
luv u ole budd crooked finger!
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