Kenneth Gerald "Bud" Vaught

Bud, or Buzzy, was a beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend and will be missed by all who experienced his love and friendship. Born in Amarillo, Texas, Bud was one of five siblings and the second oldest child of Bernie and Bernice Vaught. He graduated from Amarillo High School in 1947 and continued to stay in touch with his Amarillo friends throughout his life. After attending the University of Texas and Texas A&M University, Bud later graduated from West Texas State University.

After college, Bud joined the United States Air Force and served our great country for four years as a First Airman. His first job after his honorable discharge was with Procter & Gamble where he began a professional career in sales. Soon Bud moved to Johnson & Johnson where he honed his sales skills and was routinely recognized with top performer honors by the company.

In 1957, Bud married Sue Plummer from Hollis, Oklahoma, and together they raised two beautiful and loving daughters, Carla and Karen.

After a successful career at J&J, and over few martinis with Joe Wiman, Bud and Joe decided to start their own sales representative company, Southwest Regional Reps Inc. (SRRI). As one of the top hardware sales rep firms in the Southwest, SRRI quickly expanded with offices in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Oklahoma. Throughout his career Bud and Sue got the chance to live in several wonderful cities, including New Orleans, Houston, Dallas and finally settling down in San Antonio to raise their young family. In 1997, Bud retired from SRRI and he and Sue moved to Horseshoe Bay to enjoy the Texas Hill Country retirement they had always dreamed of.

After his wife and family, Bud’s second love was golf. He was a member of Canyon Creek, Sonterra and Dominion Country Clubs in San Antonio before joining the Horseshoe Bay Country Club during his retirement. Many of Bud’s favorite memories came from time spent with new and close friends on some of most beautiful and challenging golf courses in the world. Throughout the years, Bud was honored to play with several of golf’s greatest athletes, most notably Arnold Palmer, and he was proud to call George Strait one of his golf buddies at Dominion.

One of Bud’s dearest friends from his youth was T. Boone Pickens. Bud and Boone stayed very close throughout their wonderful and long lives. Most summers, Bud and Boone would gather old friends to spend time at Boone’s Mesa Vista Ranch in Pampa, Texas where they would hunt, dine, drink, tell stories (some true) and celebrate life. Bud cherished these times with close friends.

In retirement, Bud and Sue spent their summers in Vail Colorado and would invite their children, spouses, and grandchildren to vacation with them in the mountains. Bud believed in the importance of a strong family, doted on his four grandchildren and rarely missed an opportunity to attend one of their special events or be with them for the holidays. As much as Bud loved time with friends and family, he was driven by the need to meet people, be with people, entertain people and make new friends. Those that spent time with Bud would get to know him, hear his witty jokes and be immersed in his Texas-sized stories. If you were fortunate to spend enough time with him, you always felt like you had a friend in Bud. Together, Bud and Sue were the life the party with close friends across the country that cherished their company.

Bud is survived by his wife of 62 years, Sue Vaught; daughter Carla Greig and son-in-law Mike Greig of Austin; daughter Karen Bredehoft and son-in-law Patrick Bredehoft of Dallas; grandchildren Stratton Greig and his wife Madison, Carson Greig, Riley Bredehoft and Audrey Bredehoft; and his sister Marilyn Henderson of Amarillo. He is preceded in death by his brother Glen Vaught, Barbara Austin and JoAnne Davenport.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial donations be made to The Church at Horseshoe Bay. No funeral services are being scheduled at this time.

Online condolences can be left for the family through the Clements-Wilcox website: www.clementswilcoxfuneralhome.com