Bud Howard was born April 9, 1929 to Ivan Edward Howard and Adalade Bernice Smith in Nephi Utah. He was the oldest of 13 children. While growing up in Nephi, Utah, Bud rode horses and fondly talked about his days riding.

Bud came to Rexburg, Idaho about 1950 to work with his Uncle Denzel Jensen. He met LeRee George and were married 7 November, 1951 in the Idaho Falls, Idaho temple. Four children were born to Bud and LaRee, Vickie Jo, Bryant Kim, Cody Kip and Melanie Gay.  Bud and LaRee have 11 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren. They also were guardians and helped raise granddaughters, Dianna and Lesa.

Bud served in the Army National Guard as a Tank Gunner from 1951-1954, he received an honorable discharge with the rank of Sargent.

Bud worked at the Sawmill in Rexburg as a sawyer, and later went to Jackson Hole WY, and worked at their sawmill. When the kids were young, Bud and LaRee moved their family to Sawmill, AZ where he worked at the sawmill for about a year. After coming back to Rexburg, Bud learned to fly from his friend Ralph Galbraith who was a crop duster.

Bud was ambitious and moved a little tiny home from 2 ^nd West in Rexburg where Heming Village is onto the property next to his Uncle Denzel's on 5 ^th West Street. A few years later he built the home they lived in for 65 yeas around that tiny house, the old bathtub is still there today.

When Vickie was young, she asked her dad for a horse. They had a half-acre of land on 5 ^th West and back in those days you could have animals on the property because 5 ^th West was "way out of town" with a gravel road. Vickie recalls her dad riding the horse to town and picking her up on the corner of the old Washington grade school. He would see her coming, scoop down with his arm and swing her up onto the horse and they would ride home together.

Bud was flying and preparing to become a crop duster in the 1960s. During the winters when he couldn't fly, he worked at Roger Brother's Potato processing plant as a night watchman. After an industrial accident at the plant Bud lost his eyesight in one eye and was legally blind in the other. With several cornea transplants he could see enough to read in one eye with a soft contact piggy-backed onto a hard contact and a thick pair of glasses.

Bud worked the rest of his working days at Roger Brother's potato plant, he hated every minute of it and could tell you at any given time how many days he had left before he finally was able to retire at 65.

Even though Bud was mostly blind, he still worked in his wood shop. After he nailed or sawed or glued pieces of wood together, he would use his hands to feel and make sure the pieces were where he wanted them. He built beautiful wooden boxes which he made into music boxes for LaRee and cedar chests for his granddaughters. In early 2000 he lost most of the rest of what little eyesight he had, and by 2013-2014 was totally blind.  It was a very hard trial for him, he said even eating wasn't fun anymore because looking at food was half the enjoyment of eating.

Bud liked taking friends to the Bar J Wranglers in Jackson Hole, WY, he liked old western music like Gene Autrey, he wore western snap button up the front shirts, and he loved LaRee's cooking.

LaRee passed away October 2018 and Bud went to live with his daughter Vickie in AZ.  He was so happy to be warm, he always hated the snow and winter in Rexburg, Idaho. Bud spent the last 4 and half years sitting in the sunshine every day for an hour or two, his daughter Vickie took incredible care of him.

He passed away Monday, March 20, 2023.  Bud was proceeded in death by 5 sisters, 2 brothers, and son Cody Howard. It was probably a beautiful reunion in heaven when Bud could finally see with his eyes all his loved ones.

A funeral will be held at Flamm Funeral Home Rexburg, Idaho Monday April 3 ^rd , 2023, at 11:00.  A viewing will be held at 10:00 am prior to the services.  Interment will be at the Rexburg Cemetery.

Services may be viewed at: https://my.gather.app/remember/bud-howard