Obituaries: Boyce Austin "Bud" Trowbridge

Bud Trowbridge, 79, of Mt. Vernon, passed away Feb. 7, at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend. A graveside service will be held Wednesday, Feb. 13, at 11 a.m., at the Canyon City Cemetery with Pastor Dan Benson officiating.

He was born, with his twin sister Joyce, on May 6, 1928, in John Day. He was welcomed by his parents Charlie and Bertha (Boyce) Trowbridge and older sisters Shirley and Irmalee. He grew up on the century ranch in John Day, where his grandfather first homesteaded in 1862.

From an early age, he was a cowboy. He roped his sisters, the hired men and the family livestock in his youth. He once roped a deer from the ground and got trampled for his effort. Later years would find him shooting out all the street lights in John Day in the back of his best friend’s Model A Ford. It was “okay,” as his friend’s father was the mayor.

Mr. Trowbridge married Savilla Simmons on the 4th of July, 1946. They had three girls, Austene, Susan, and Milne. They ranched in the John Day Valley until 1972 when they moved to the Fox Ranch. After selling the ranch in Fox, he and Savilla moved back to the John Day area, where he could be seen trying to hit golf balls on the John Day course. He may have put as many in the pond as on the golf course, but he enjoyed it just the same.

One of his great loves was hunting. Chasing elk on horseback in his younger years, to his latest group, The Over the Hill Gang, he gathered many friends. He always rode a good cow horse and enjoyed the local brandings. He loved people and he loved living. He was a great storyteller and he loved an audience. He also loved spending time with his four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

He was affiliated with the Methodist Church, the Elks Club, Grant County Fair Board, Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, Grant County Sheriff’s Posse, National Farmer’s Organization, Grant County Farm Bureau, the school board, and the John Day Country Club. We are going to miss his smiling face and his teasing, but we know he is happy, as he joins his greatest love, his wife Savilla, in heaven!

Mr. Trowbridge was preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 61 years, Savilla; and sisters, Shirley Lloyd and Joyce Hales.

He is survived by his daughters, Austene Hendrix, John Day, Susan Dupont, Aurora and Milne Purchase, Pendleton; sister, Irmalee Ersnt, Redmond; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Grant County Fair through Driskill Memorial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845.