George M. "Bud" Smith June 13, 1931 - September 8, 2013

"Bud" Smith was born on 6/13/31, in Detroit, Michigan, to Leonard and Lillian Saunders and was given the name Charles Robert Saunders. He was adopted by Milton and Sarah Smith on 11/12/31, at which time his name was changed to George Milton Smith. One of Bud's greatest joys was when he reconnected with his "birth" brothers and sister as an adult.

Bud went to Howe Military School in Indiana through Junior and Senior High. While in High School he was active in wrestling (known as "Henry the Grinder"), Thespian Club and Football. He went to Hillsdale College, graduating with a BA degree in Business Administration in 1954. Bud was inducted into military service in 1955 as a Military Intelligence Specialist; transferred to the Army Reserves in 1957 and Honorably Discharged in 1963.

Bud married Pat Weatherred in July, 1962 in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. They subsequently moved to Greenville, Michigan where he was employed by Gibson Refrigerator Company as Personnel Director and Labor Relations Negotiator. Bud's career in Labor Relations next took him to Boise, Idaho in 1968 where he was employed by Ore-Ida Foods. While in Boise, he became an avid fisherman, golfer and motorcycle enthusiast. He was recruited by Lamb Weston Corporation in 1974, moving to Tigard, Oregon and then to Kennewick, Washington. He retired from Lamb Weston in 1994.

While in Tigard, Bud and Pat loved to travel. Their vacations took them to Canada, Alaska, cruises on the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and all over Oregon. Their favorite thing to do was to camp on the Metolius River in Camp Sherman and spend time in Sisters. They loved Sisters so much that they eventually bought a parcel of land outside of town with a beautiful view of the Three Sisters Mountains. Their dream was to someday retire there, which they accomplished in 1994. The sign on their property welcomes visitors to "Someday."

After Bud and Pat moved to Sisters, they continued to travel all over the West and became very active in the Sisters Rodeo Association. They truly enjoyed being involved with the rodeo. Bud loved living in the West and always secretly wished that he had been born a cowboy! In 2000, they adopted a yellow lab named Jake and later a yellow cat named Farley. Their family was complete and they were exactly where they wanted to be!

Bud was a fiercely loyal friend to those fortunate enough to be called his friend. He was a tough negotiator, and a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle. He had a unique sense of humor that those who knew him will never forget. When Pat died of cancer in 2010, he lost the "love of his life" and also his reason for living. He was never able to recover from the grief of her death which made the last three years of his life very difficult. On September, 8, he joined her once again.

Bud was preceded in death by his wife, Pat; his brothers, Norman and Gordon Saunders; his parents; and his dog, Jake. He is survived by his sister, Jean Lowe of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; and his stepchildren, Linda Knight of Medford and Dave Weatherred of Spokane, Washington. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sisters Rodeo Association, P.O. Box 1018, Sisters, OR 97759.