Gunder Wigen "Bud" Aune

A Celebration of Life for Gunder Wigen "Bud" Aune, a lifelong farmer and cattleman in the Lacrosse-Hay area, will be held at Selbu Lutheran Church on November 27 at 11 a.m. Pastor John Cross will officiate. Bud passed away on the morning of November 8, at Bishop Place in Pullman, with daughter Julie and beloved wife Judy at his side. He was 86 years old.

Bud was born on May 11, 1937, in Colfax, to Gunder and Beatrice (Wigen) Aune. He grew up on Akili Flat, east of Hay. Graduating from Lacrosse High School in 1955, Bud attended Washington State College for a short time before returning to the family farm when his father fell ill. Bud married the love of his life, Judy Leinweber Aune, on August 31, 1957. They made their home on Alkali Flat until 1973 when the family moved to a beautifully remodeled farmhouse on Mud Flat near Selbu Lutheran Church. After 37 years there, Bud and Judy retired and moved to Colfax in 2010, where they have lived ever since.

In addition to dryland wheat farming, Bud raised registered cattle for many years. Aune & Sons Polled Herefords earned a reputation for quality and integrity throughout the northwest. He was a brilliant mechanic, welder, and designer-builder-the man could make anything run. Bud was a life-long learner, always looking for a better way of doing things and keenly interested in innovation. A caring steward of the land, he was an early-adopter of soil conservation practices in his farming operation, including divided slope for slowing run-off, earthen dams to hold water and keep topsoil in the field, strip cropping to mitigate erosion, and implementation of fall-spring crop rotations, all of which earned him Conservation Farmer of the Year in the mid-60s. Bud also leveraged technology to inform his crop marketing strategy. He and longtime friend, Durand Cox, spent several years selling and installing DTN Ag satellite systems that provided weather and commodity marketing information. In the later years of the cattle operation, Bud was at the forefront in his move to extensively employ artificial insemination.

Bud was a lifelong member of Selbu Lutheran Church and was very much involved there throughout the entirety of his life, rarely missing a Sunday. Living just a quarter mile from the church since 1973, he was often the first call if a repair was needed, including keeping the temperamental irrigation system operational. Bud was a man of deep faith, and never ate a meal at home without first giving thanks through prayer.

He was a lover of nice automobiles and owned a red '57 Chevy Bel Air when courting Judy. An accomplished athlete in high school and avid sports fan, Bud was an obsessive follower of WSU sports and a longtime WSU Cougar Club member. His first passion, however, was following Joel, Jay, Jeff, Julie, and in later years his grandkids' activities and sports. He was always there for them. A music enthusiast, Bud sang in the Dusty Quartet back in the fifties. He frequently sang along with his favorite artists on the family stereo and had an extensive collection of records. Most recently he would listen to iTunes on his headphones, humming along, even in the final days of his life. At family gatherings before eating, Bud always got everyone started, "on pitch", for the "Table Prayer".

Bud served on the school boards in Hay and Lacrosse, the Lacrosse Grain Growers Board, and the Columbia Empire Polled Hereford Board. He was respected for his integrity, work ethic, toughness, and passion. He exuded an ever-present sense of optimism-for farming, his view of the future, and his beloved Cougars. Bud approached everything in life at full-throttle, and never quit on anything or anyone. He was humble, yet extremely proud of his wife and family.

Bud is survived by his wife of 66 years, Judy, and their legacy-four children: Gunder Joel (Dory), Matthew Jay (Patti), Jeffrey Eugene (Trish), and Julie Ann Kincaid (Dennis), 11 grandchildren, and eight great-children. He was preceded in death by siblings Corrine Spitzer, Phyllis Stueckle, John Aune, and Dwight Aune. Bud is survived by sister Ann Emerson, and brothers Gene and Norm.

His family suggests memorials be made to the Selbu Lutheran Church Cemetery Trust or Selbu Lutheran Church, care of Judy Aune, 1705 N. Oak Street, Colfax, WA 99111. Corbeill Funeral Homes in Colfax is caring for the family. On-line condolences may be made at http://www.corbeillfuneralhomes.com