Charles "Bud" Munsil

Remembered as a kind, modest man with a great sense of humour, Bud Munsil passed away on June 23, 2026 at West Coast General Hospital. He was 91.

Bud was born in 1935 in Auburn, WA, USA to Charles and Daisy Munsil, who had a family farm in Algona. As a student, Bud was active in 4-H, and a member of the Future Farmers of America and the Jaycees. He attended Washington State College and UW College of Puget Sound with thoughts of being a high school agriculture teacher. To raise money for college and cars (and a road trip to the opening day of Disneyland in 1955), he worked as a supply clerk at Boeing, and he volunteered for the Algona police force as a deputy until he was called up to the US Army in 1957.

Serving as a peacetime postal clerk in Japan at the Drake US Army Base outside of Tokyo was a highlight of his young adulthood, and almost 70 years later it seemed he could recall the name of every place and person he encountered there. He said that travel and experiencing other cultures was a wonderful way to broaden the mind, especially for young people.

While working as a manager for Firestone, Bud married Maxine Mackenzie of Alberni in 1965, and they lived in Seattle and Moscow, Idaho where their two children were born. In 1976, they immigrated to Canada and settled in Port Alberni, near Maxine’s family.

A partner at Jack’s Tires in Port Alberni for 41 years, Bud loved to drive and to travel, whether to Tofino on a tire service call, on cross-continental road-trips with the kids in the camper, or flying off to distant (preferably hot and sunny) lands around the world with Maxine.

In retirement, Bud volunteered as an ambassador for the Chamber of Commerce. He shared his knowledge and appreciation of the Alberni Valley by greeting visitors on the train to the McLean Mill, on the M.V. Frances Barkley, and amid the natural wonders of Cathedral Grove. He enjoyed handing out Canadian flag pins to visitors from abroad, keeping a list of their countries, and surprising tourists from Japan with a warm welcome in their language.

At the age of 83, Bud became a Canadian citizen.

During his final days in WCGH Palliative Care, Bud always had a warm hello and a funny remark for the wonderful staff. He remarked on how thankful he was that up until the end he could remember so much of his life and the people who played a part in it.

Bud is deeply missed by wife Maxine Munsil, daughter Janet (Paul Terry), son Brian (Sarah), grandsons Bowen and Valen Munsil, and members of the Mackenzie family. Special thanks to the “pub buddies,” who have been Bud and Maxine’s Friday dinner companions for the past 25 years – an outing he always enjoyed. Donations to the Western Vancouver Island Industrial Heritage Society in his memory are welcome. Remembrances at dignitymemorial.com.