LeRoy "Bud" Dunbar

Bud was born January 26, 1932 to Vernon and Stella (Domish) Dunbar at International Falls, MN. The family relocated to Selah, then to Yakima when he was five years old. He attended St. Joseph’s School and graduated from Marquette High School in 1950. Bud met his future wife Darlene “Toots” Desmarais at a dance during his senior year. After attending three years of college, he joined the U.S. Air Force in 1953. While he was in the service studying to be a meteorologist, he married Toots on June 13, 1953, at Chanute AFB in Illinois. He served as a meteorologist for four years, including a tour in Greenland.

After his discharge, Bud went to work for Boeing for twelve years, then Lockheed for two years. After that, he worked in the pharmaceutical industry for seventeen years. Bud then returned to Lockheed for another fourteen years. He retired from Lockheed in 2000.

In his leisure time he enjoyed hunting, fishing, golfing and playing sports.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Bob Dunbar.

Bud is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Darlene “Toots” Dunbar of Selah; his eight children: Dennis (Sue) Dunbar of Salt Lake City, UT; Bruce (Gayle) Dunbar of Yakima; Kevin (Virginia) Dunbar of Thousand Oaks, CA; David (Denise) Dunbar of Simi Valley, CA; Candy (Alan) Childs of Savage, MN; Vicki (Roger) Gillespie of Grants Pass, OR; Peggy Ambrose of Selah; and Karen (Chris) Bonner of Grants Pass, OR; one sister, Sandy (Ron) Raney of Yakima; 19 grandchildren, 5 ½ great grandchildren; as well as a large extended family and many loyal friends.

Bud will remembered by those that loved him for his fondness for story telling and for always having a joke on hand.

There will be a Memorial Mass at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, June 26, 2010, at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Selah, with a reception immediately following. Inurnment will be at Holy Rosary Cemetery in Moxee at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Yakima Humane Society Shelter, in care of Langevin-Mussetter Funeral Home.

Special thanks to the staff of Good Samaritan Health Care Center for taking such good care of Bud and to Dr. Gabriel Lascar for his years of dedicated service.