William "Bud" Carlton Kershner

William "Bud" Kershner was born December 1, 1926, in the small town of Dietrich, Idaho. His family moved to Seattle in 1938 and he went to school at Garfield High School. He graduated with honors and was a soloist in choir all three years.

After graduating he and his best friend enrolled in a refrigeration trade school in Chicago. After graduation in 1946 they enlisted in the army. Bud was made a cook and there he discovered he had an aptitude for cooking and enjoyed cooking! He was honorably discharged with the rank of corporal in the fall of 1948. He then moved to Seattle and moved in with his parents, found a job at an ocean freight forwarder. He started in the warehouse and by the mid-1950s was assistant manager. Besides working he assisted his parents, went fishing, camping, joined University Presbyterian Church and joined their choir. On weekends he would occasionally go to Pier 90 for Navy dances. It was at a "change of command" party and he met Polly and they immediately hit it off. After a brief engagement they were married on May 17, 1957 at the University Presbyterian Church.

Bud and Polly bought a house in Edmonds on July 2, 1958. It was the setting for many backyard picnics where they enjoyed badminton, ping pong, croquet, hula hoops, and horseplay. Theirs was a very close loving family.

Bud worked for the freight forwarder until he retired in 1991 where he became the general manager. After retirement Bud and Polly travelled around USA visiting friends and relatives, enjoying their home and neighbors. Polly became ill in 2005 and died in 2008, Bud continued his singing in the church choir, joined the barbershop quartet as well as the Snohomish Men's Choir. After Polly's passing these became his focus. On the 1st part of January 2010, he got very ill and was transported to Steven's Hospital where he ended up in the ICU for seven weeks. He was then moved to Riverton Heights Hospital to be weaned off the incubator and from there he was moved to a skilled nursing home in West Seattle where he lived and continued his recovery until early 2011. He then moved in with his sister Lois Hubbs. Lois looked after him for the next two years as he continued his recovery. Lois then became ill and bud gradually took over cooking, driving, and shopping duties along with the care of Lois until she dies in April of 2017. Bud purchased her home in lake hills above Auburn where he resided until he fell in the Fall of 2021 and broke his arm. Bud then moved to Merrill Gardens retirement community in Auburn, Washington until he had COVID and a touch of pneumonia in August 2023. He then moved to a skilled nursing facility in South Tacoma. In November 2023 Bud moved to Spokane into an Adult Family Home where he received better care. He resided there until he fell ill again with COVID and pneumonia and went to Sacred Heart Hospital where he died peacefully.

In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be directed to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Contributions, J5-200 P.O. Box 19024 Seattle, WA 98109-1024 or Children's Hospital Foundation P.O. Box 50020/S-200 Seattle, WA 98145-5020