William T. Budde

William Taylor Budde, 65, of Avon CT, beloved husband of Susan L. (Gilbert) Budde, passed away peacefully with Sue by his side on Thursday, February 19, 2026, after a courageous battle with liver cancer. Bill was born in Chicago, IL on March 27, 1960, to the late William and Jane (Lindig) Budde.

Bill was raised in Chicago, Tennessee & Florida before returning to Chicago in his late teens & graduating from high school in 1978. Bill continued his education at Northwestern University in Chicago, graduating with honors and earning a BA in 1982 with a triple major in political science, geography & urban studies. After graduation Bill took a job with Zurich Insurance in their actuarial department. Bill held a CPCU designation for risk management and insurance professionals (1997) and was President of the Chicago-Northwest Suburban Chapter of the Society of CPCU from 1992-1993. Bill subsequently came to CT in 1995 to work for USF&G Insurance as their CIO. During his career, Bill worked at Discover RE, EDS, Patni Computer Systems, & INSTEC. Prior to retirement in 2025, Bill was Sector Vice President of Insurance for CGI.

Bill was a committed and loyal member of the Avon-Canton Rotary, sometimes referred to by wife Sue and other Rotarians as the "First Gentleman" of Avon-Canton Rotary while Sue was president. He enjoyed volunteering with his Rotary Family, most recently becoming a major donor of the Rotary Foundation. He was also very active at West Avon Congregational Church. Over the last 30 years he has been a Sunday school teacher, chaired the finance, personnel and long-range planning committees and served as Moderator twice, in 2007/2008 and again in 2018/2019. He is very proud of the fact that West Avon Congregational Church became Open and Affirming during his first tenure as Moderator. Bill also volunteered for and served on the Board of Directors at Interval House from 2004-2006. Bill, along with Sue, was involved in the founding of Dog Star Rescue in 2014. In his 20's, Bill practiced Ju-Jitsu and achieved the rank of blackbelt in 1983. He later became a Ju-Jitsu instructor in 1985. Bill enjoyed movies, going on cruises, collecting art, and volunteering for his community. Bill was a big Star Trek Fan and collected the Star Trek Christmas ornament each year. Bill also enjoyed his ribeye steaks and a good venti Starbucks chai. He truly loved his life with Sue and their dog Willow.

Bill will be dearly missed by so many, always known for his intelligence, laughter, smile and his boundless generosity and kindness. Bill could talk to anyone about any topic, once putting together a presentation on AI in under an hour for Rotary when the guest speaker backed out at the last minute. He always strived to "use his powers for good" and give his time and talent to help others. Bill had mastered the ideal of "Happy wife, happy life" and was always an enthusiastic cheer leader and supporter of any project Sue took on.

Bill is survived by his loving wife of 23 years, Susan L. Budde of Avon; daughter, Jessica J. Budde and husband Sam Mascaro of San Jose, CA; son, Ryan W. Budde of GA; grandchildren, Noah William and Benjamin Frank Mascaro; Aunt, Iris Budde of Sharon, TN; as well as so many cousins, special friends, colleagues, and the amazing people he considered his Rotary Family.

Bill's family will receive guests on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, from 4:00-7:00PM at the Carmon Funeral Home & Family Center, 301 Country Club Rd, Avon, CT 06001.

A Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, March 5, 2026, 11:00AM at the West Avon Congregational Church, 280 Country Club Rd, Avon, CT. 06001. The service will be live streamed on Facebook for anyone who is unable to attend in person: https://www.facebook.com/WestAvonChurch.

To honor Bill and all those affected by liver cancer, please wear something emerald green to his service.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to Avon-Canton Rotary, PO Box 11, Avon CT 06001 or online at rotaryclubofavon-canton.org. For directions, online memory and condolences please visit www.carmonfuneralhome.com