Darryl G. 'Bud' Larsen

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 51^st 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.