On December 4, 2022 Cleland Arthur “Bud” Burdge passed away due to old age. A grave side service will be held on Friday, December 16th at 1:00 p.m. in The Utah Veterans Cemetery & Memorial Park, 1700 West, Bluffdale, UT. All who wish to attend are welcome. The following is a transcript of his eulogy which will be presented by his son, Scott:

Less than a year ago, during one of my last visits with Dad, he kept repeating the same phrase: “I want to be with my family and serve the Lord.” Even though his mind was failing him, the two things that mattered the most, God and family, remained a desire so strong it couldn’t be shaken.

Born to Harold and Edith Burdge in Willard, Ohio, on November 3, 1923, Cleland was raised on a farm that had cows, pigeons, chickens, and ‘a testy billy goat.’ Because his dad and mom both worked on trains, he grew up with a great love for trains. When he was very young, he was given the nickname “Bud” and it stayed with him for the rest of his life. In a scrapbook describing his life, Cleland noted how he wasn’t allowed to wear long pants until he was fourteen, had a dog named Cricket, and he played the saxophone in high school. Soon after graduating, he got a job with the B & L Railroad working as a Machinist Apprentice.

World War II, however, changed his plans of working on the railroad. At the age of nineteen, he was inducted into the army. Soon, he was classified as a sharpshooter and worked in communications. By January of 1945, he was promoted to Sargent. His battalion marched from France into Germany on April 15, 1945, where they helped build the longest floating Bailey bridge. On February 4, 1946, his miliary career ended. By then he had received the rank of Staff Sargent. Even though he rarely talked about his experiences during the war, whenever anyone asked if he wanted to go camping, he always said he had seen enough camping in Europe to last a lifetime.

Following the war, Cleland attended the University of Houston, majoring in accounting. While there, he was quite proud of the beard he grew for his fraternity’s beard growing contest. Unfortunately, even though, according to him, he had the best beard, he did not win the contest because he arrived late for the judging. Later, he became president of his fraternity. He also served as captain of his bowling team. It was at this time he met Jean Lee Coy who is pictured in the university yearbook as one of the fraternity ‘sweethearts.’

After graduation, he and Jean married on August 29, 1953. They settled in Houston where he worked in the tax department for a company called Schlumberger. One rambunctious son after another was born. First Kevin, then Mark, next Lee, and finally, Scott. Kevin noted his memories of the silly songs his dad sang like, “Peanut on a Railroad Track,” and “On Top of Ol’ Smokey.” His sons also remember how their dad included goofy little poems on their Valentines each year and loved to listen to Johnny Cash. During the boys’ growing up years, Bud drove a bright yellow Austin/Healey Sprite sports car which he greatly enjoyed. He was a man who did all in his power to help his sons achieve their dreams and goals. Eventually, Cleland opened his own accounting firm which proved to be very successful.

After being together for nearly thirty years, he and Jean parted ways. A few years later, he was pleased to meet the manager of his apartment complex, Maxine Joy Andrews. They hit it off and have been married for thirty-four years. Eventually, the two moved to Smithfield, Utah, a small town near Logan. He loved to take his family members - especially his sons and grandchildren - into his ‘Cougar Den,’ dubbed such because a picture of a cougar was framed on the wall.

Since the time of his conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, back in the 1950s, he remained a faithful member who served in many callings. Bud helped establish the church in Houston and worked on several of the first meetinghouses that were built in the city. His favorite calling was serving on the High Counsel in a young single adult stake at BYU.

Bud would quickly tell you his greatest accomplishment was raising his four boys. He took great pride in their accomplishments, both professionally and personally. All of them completed LDS missions, were married in the temple, and all remain faithful in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Cleland will be remembered for his love of trains, movies - especially westerns and James Bond flicks - and his wry sense of humor. Often, he said his secret to longevity was a combination of peanut butter and Dr. Pepper. It must have worked since he lived for a little over 99 years.

Bud is survived by his wife, Maxine, his four sons and their wives, Kevin and Kelly, Mark and Suzanne, Lee and Joni, and Scott and Shela, along with nineteen grandchildren and thirty-five great-grandchildren.

As he said to me in the care center, not so long ago, his two greatest priorities were his family and the Lord. Now free from the physical pains of this life, we are grateful to know he is with many long-lost family members and his beloved Savior.

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