Obituaries for March 24, 2010

‘Bud’ Matthews

Thomas “Bud” Matthews, 71, of  Baker City, died March 20, 2010, at his home.

A celebration of Bud’s life and a potluck will take place Saturday, March 27 starting at 1 p.m. at the home of Jake and Carrie Jones, 2850 12th St. in Baker City.

Bud had many interests and hobbies that he developed in his 71 years of life. He loved the outdoors, his faithful dog EZ, and was ingenious when it came to crafting knives, flint knapping arrowheads and making Indian spears.

He grew up in Ft. Pierce, Fla., with his sisters, Charlotte and Sadie and brother, Henry. He and Henry spent most of their young lives fishing the Florida waters and hunting the Floridian wildlife. He always had an interest in cars and learned the body and fender craft as a young man, working in various body and fender shops.

He spent some time working in the fingerprinting department for the FBI where he met Jimmy Stewart who was there in preparation for the movie “The FBI Story.” He later enlisted in the Air Force in 1960 and played a part in the 1961 Blue Scout missile program in Cape Canaveral that carried a lightweight communications satellite into Earth orbit in preparation for manned orbital missions. He then married and had a son, Michael.

Bud left Florida for Northern Idaho where he continued mastering his trade in the body and fender business. He married his wife of 41 years, Trudy Beamis, and raised their daughter, Carrie. They enjoyed spending time camping, hunting and fishing together throughout the Silver Valley of Idaho until 1987. He finished the rest of his career in Portland, where he retired after 39 years in the body and fender business. He and his wife retired in 2003 and moved to Baker City to be with their daughter.

Bud was known best for his smile, doing the Limbo and dancing to “Louie Louie.” He was a walking library of jokes that he loved to share. One of his most memorable moments was when he and his wife drove their motor home to Alaska where they had the time of their lives catching a bounty of fish. Bud’s other memorable time was when he recently went back to his home in Ft. Pierce for his 50th class reunion where he also was reunited with his family and best friend, Matt Schneider.

Bud is survived by his wife, Trudy, his daughter, Carrie, and his son-in-law, Jake Jones of Baker City; his son, Michael, of San Francisco; his brother, Henry, sisters, Charlotte and Sadie of Ft. Pierce; numerous nieces and nephews; and a very close friend of more than 40 years, Dale Curl.

For those who would like to make a donation in memory of Bud, you may do so to the Eastern Oregon Dialysis Center through Tami's Pine Valley Funeral Home P.O. Box 543 Halfway, OR 97834.