Orville Floyd "Bud" Evenson

EVENSON, Orville "Bud" Floyd, boiler maker, fisherman, brother, father, grandfather, uncle and friend to many, died June 11, 2007 from lung cancer. He was 82. Evenson was born in Clear Lake, Iowa, grew up in Troy, Missouri and came of age at the start of World War II. A childhood bout with Polio kept him out of the military. Instead, he volunteered in the Civilian Conservation Corps where he learned to weld. After the Civilian Conservation Corps disbanded in 1946, he began his career with the International Brotherhood of Boiler makers trade union. On June 26, 1948, he married his life-long love, Gloria May Sweeney, also of Troy. They moved around the country for the next fifteen years with their growing family of eventually six kids. Evenson moved his family from Farmington, New Mexico to Tucson in 1966, although he continued to travel the country on welding jobs, becoming a member of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Local 627. Bud's true passion was fishing. An avid bass angler, Evenson pursued the sport by traveling to various Arizona lakes up to six times a year after he retired in 1986. "Fishing won't be the same without him," said Dr. Lewis Brickler, his fishing buddy and long-time family friend. He leaves behind a bass boat, many fishing poles, abundant tackle and a collection of hats that hid his balding head. Evenson's legacy is the love he passed on to the people in his life. In a time when men customarily gave handshakes, he would say hello with both arms wide open. Put simply, Evenson was a hugger. He made sure to get every grand-baby off to a good start by swinging them on the porch swing of his home in Tucson. His carefully worked crossword puzzles were strewn throughout the house, and every one of the kids knew about the "secret" candy stash in his night stand. Polio had hobbled his step, but couldn't slow him down, as he ambled along, humming the words to an old country song. He was proud that he'd grown his own orange tree, and would not let anyone out of the house without tasting one. He joins his beloved wife, Gloria May, in eternal peace. He is survived by one brother, John Evenson; two daughters, Jacqueline Evenson and Shelley Kohler; four sons, Christopher Evenson, Gary Evenson, Kyle Evenson and Tracy Evenson; 14 grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. As he wished, there were no formal services following his cremation at DESERT ROSE CREMATORY in Tucson. His family gathered Saturday, June 16 in his memory.