"Bud" Derwood Wright Davis has seen a lot of life! Bud was born in Bronte, Texas on January 6, 1925. Bud was the fourth of eight children born to his mom. The last three children were with his mom and stepfather. Bud's family lived on a farm where he lived his entire childhood. His parents always had plenty of food available with their gardens and Bud loved to fish. All of the children were expected to work hard and Bud was especially close to his brother Frank and sister Gertrude. When his parents had divorced, Bud was only two years old and he did not see his father again until he was 17 years old. It was at that time that he moved away from the farm and moved in with his dad in Los Angeles. He stayed for the summer and then enlisted in the US Navy in Sept. 1942. After boot camp in San Diego, he attended the Univ. of Minnesota to study "all things electric." Bud was always a strong student and he caught on quickly. After four months at the University, he was sent to submarine school in New London, Connecticut for three months. In those days, everything was diesel-electric. Bud was then assigned to Bermuda to a submarine base on Ordinance Island as a maintenance electrician. He was later transferred to a new sub in New London. WWII ended August 1945 and his enlistment was up in January 1946, so he was shipped back to San Francisco to become a submarine instructor. After completing his commitment, Bud was free to travel and he did! In 1947 Bud attended school in LA for refrigeration, then moved to Portland to live with his dad and work in Longview, WA. He eventually left and traveled to look for other jobs. No luck! He came back to Portland and met his wife Midge through a mutual friend. They had dinner in December 1948 and he thought "She is the prettiest girl I have ever seen." Bud and Midge married in May 1949 and soon were a family of six! Barbara, twins Stan and Gary and then Russell. After a few years they ended up in Astoria where Bud worked for Radio Electronics Company, building the first ever TV Cable System west of the Mississippi. The company eventually went bankrupt and so the family came back to Portland, with Bud working as an electronics technician. In 1958, Bud and Midge made the decision to be baptized into Christ after friends had invited them to church at Duke Street Church of Christ in Portland. This was a strong turning point in their lives. In 1966 Bud went to work at Sears as an electronics technician. In 1973 Bud and Midge both went to Pakistan for a short time to help a missionary with electronic repairs in their recording studio. While working at Sears, Bud also began doing pastoral work at the Duke Street Church. He also began attending NW College of the Bible, taking a few classes at a time to earn a diploma. He attended over several years and even taught there. Bud left Sears in 1973 and went into business with Dick Fritzler, doing all types of repairs. He once got his hand stuck in a pizza roller and had to dismantle the machine one-handed to get his other hand out! Duke Street Church eventually asked him to come on staff full-time and he did. He started a bus ministry at the church, bringing several busloads of kids to church on a regular basis. In 1973 Bud and Midge moved to Corbett. They came to care for elderly relatives and ending up staying nine years until the relatives both passed. They then decided to stay and care for Midge's mom and her brother as well as a foster child. They ended up purchasing a 1980's mobile classroom from the Corbett School District and converted it into an additional home. In 1989 Bud retired from Duke Street Church because he fell off his barn roof and broke his pelvis and wrist. While healing at home they began attending Corbett Christian Church. He served there as an elder and then an interim pastor. In 1996 they transferred to Harvest Community Church in Troutdale and have been attending there ever since. Bud and Midge did extensive volunteer work on the missions committee and recently stepped down from that due to Bud's health challenges. They are still living in Corbett and stay in close contact with their family which is now FIVE generations! Bud writes Midge a poem EACH day and has for the last 50 years. She has kept every single one. In May of this year, they will celebrate SEVENTY years of marriage!
