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 Darryl G. “Bud” Larsen, 76,
Bonners Ferry, died at the Valley Vista Nursing
Home, Sandpoint, on the morning of May 23, 2012, after battling cancer. At his
request, no services will be held.
Bud was born in Weiser,
Idaho,
February 7, 1936, to William
and Jean Larsen. He grew up in
Pasco, Washington,
and graduated from high school there in 1953. In
1955, he joined the Army, serving until his
retirement as Command Sergeant Major, the
highest enlisted rank in the Army, on
March 31, 1980.
On
February 3, 1961, he married the love
of his life, Marianne, in
Munich,
Germany. They celebrated
their 51st anniversary this year. The
couple had no children.
“Uncle” Bud and Marianne
moved to Bonners Ferry in 1996, where he lived
out the best years of his retirement. He was
active in many facets of the community,
including the Rodbenders Car Club, and was part
of many memorable road trips throughout the
region in his sporty Miata and later his
Mercedes convertible, a car he just couldn’t
stop talking about, and he helped organize
several club events.
He was a prolific writer,
at first covering another of his great loves,
fishing, in the column “Fishing with Uncle Bud,”
that debuted here in 2004 in the on-line news
magazine, Ruralnorthwest.com. From that column
came a book of the same name, published in
November, 2009. In it, he covers not only all
aspects of regional fishing, but much of the
work being done to protect and preserve the
local fisheries, something he was dedicated to.
Often, he trekked to remote
areas with Idaho Fish and Game crews to restock
area lakes and to see what was being done in
hatcheries region-wide; his column almost always
included a plug for their hard work, but he
wasn’t shy about pointing out fishing policies
he disagreed with, either.
His fishing column, though
local, drew a far-flung audience, and he
received letters and emails from people around
the world. Through his column, he recounted a
visit to Fort Mill,
South Carolina, where he
spent time fishing with and visiting his Army
mentor and fellow Sergeant Major Buck Buchanan,
as well as his trip to
Florida when he caught a
world-record catfish.
Shortly after he bought his
Miata, he branched out in his writing, adding
the column “Wandering with Uncle Bud,” a venue
from which to chronicle the multitude of fun and
unique places he visited in North Idaho, often
accompanied by Marianne and their beloved
Schnauzers.
He later wrote for the
Kootenai Valley Press, and then for News Bonners
Ferry until his illness forced him to give up
the keyboard … though he felt compelled to come
back and write one more column March 25,
encouraging local voters to get out and vote.
He is survived by his wife,
Marianne, at the home.
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