January 23, 1922 – September 2021
Sedro-Woolley/Sante Fe – Suddenly, as Dad drew in his final breath, a monsoon rain began pouring from the sky. It was almost as if the sky felt our grief and wept with us.
Dad was born in Sedro-Woolley, Washington, to Dr. George A. Jones (known as ‘Doc’ due to his profession as a veterinarian) and Laura Thompson Jones. He was adored by his three older sisters Helen, Lois and Mary. Through the years when they were together, there was laughing, teasing, dancing, and singing.
Dad graduated in 1939 from Sedro-Woolley High School. He studied Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University where he joined the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. He also took ROTC. He loved his college years: the people, the games, the Cougars. He graduated in 1945 during the final days of World War II, and he promptly enlisted in the U.S. Army. With his DVM degree he became a medic, spending nearly a year behind a microscope in the lab at a hospital in Italy. When he returned to Sedro-Woolley his father left for a well-deserved vacation leaving Bud in charge of the Veterinarian business and his sisters. He hit the ground running.
While helping a family friend as a server, he met Judy Bingham. He was smitten with this red headed dynamo. They started dating, and even when Judy left for eleven-month hiatus in Hawaii, Bud continued to visit Judy’s Mom and Dad (smart man!), waiting for her return. Judy and Bud were married in 1949, and they were married for 67 years. They were a great pair: Bud, a very calming partner to his spitfire, Judy. They had four children: Tom, Julie, Jane, and Sally. Dad loved nicknames, such as ‘Jungle Juke Box’ (Julie), ‘Marganini’ (Jane), and ‘Palpina’ (Sally). Not to be out done, we nicknamed him ‘Bud the Scrud’- or ‘Scrud’ for short.
Dad also loved adventures, so every year we would pack up the car and visit the American West: Banff, Yellowstone Park, The Grand Canyon, and parts of New Mexico, just to name a few. We would camp for a few days, then get a motel room (with a pool, of course). He never took a freeway to our destinations; it was always a country road or worse, a gravel road. Dad worked 6-7 days a week. He was on call after hours and it was not uncommon for him to be called out at dinner time or the late evening for a calving issue such as a prolapsed uterus or a pet needing emergency surgery. Once he got a partner in his practice, however, he had more free time and taught us how to ski. Every other Sunday we would drive the 18 hairpin curves up to Mt. Baker with Julie and Tom on chain duty, and Jane and Sally getting car sick on the way home. He instilled the love of skiing in our family, even to his grandkids! As we got older, he planned vacations to resorts like Sun Valley, Idaho, Bend, Oregon, and Mt. Whistler in British Columbia. As time went on, grandkids and friends came along too. Over the years the highlights for Bud were skiing in New Zealand and the Swiss Alps with Judy as his travel partner. The major tragedy of Dad’s life was the death of his daughter Sally, in 2000.
Dad was a Rotarian, was president for a year, and occasionally played the piano for the meetings. He was also on the Sedro-Woolley Library board. Later in life, Judy and Bud became involved in the Sedro-Woolley Highschool Alumni Association. They raised funds for the purpose of giving out vocational scholarships to Sedro-Woolley Highschool graduates. He enjoyed getting reacquainted with many of his old classmates and was very proud of the funds they raised as well as how those funds benefited the community.
After our mother Judy passed away in September of 2016, Bud had one final adventure. At age 95 he moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where his son Tom and daughter-in-law Charlotte live. His daughter Julie and her husband Steve live about an hour and a half north in Taos. He had always loved the Southwest: the art galleries, the margaritas, the Native American arts, and the beautiful scenery. He especially loved it when his family from Washington would come to visit him.
Bud was a great listener and really enjoyed talking to people and learning about them. He gave advice only when asked and always was full of encouragement. When he was with family, he had only one volume – loud, and if he liked something, he would exclaim in his booming voice “this is MAAARVELOUS!” He was fun to be around. He had a silly side as well, and there were many times when he would be laughing with us uncontrollably.
For 99 years Bud lived a happy and healthy life. We are blessed that we had our dad with us for so long. He will always be with his children and their spouses, Tom Jones and wife Charlotte Beck, Julie and Steve Anderson, Jane and Dirk Thompson, and Sally and Frank Flight, as well as his grandchildren, Katy and Pat Anderson, Jordan and Anna Thompson, and Frank and Becca Flight. He will also be remembered by many nieces, nephews, and friends.
Per Dad’s wishes there will not be a memorial service. If you wish to honor him you can donate to one of his favorite charities, Sedro-Woolley High School Alumni Association in Sedro-Woolley, or the Northwest Organization for Animal Help (NOAH) in Stanwood.
Published by Skagit Valley Herald from Aug. 15 to Aug. 16, 2021.