J.A. "Bud" Oliver

Heaven gained our WWII veteran! J. A. “Bud” Oliver passed away at the age of 101 and 6 months on September 12, 2024. Bud, a proud American with family roots in Sicily, was born on March 26, 1923 in Baton Rouge, LA to Rock Oliver and Annie Campagna Oliver. He graduated from Baton Rouge High School in 1940 and while there, lettered in track and football. He was proud to tell anyone he was the second smallest man on the BR High Bulldogs football team and that he played both offense and defense during the 1939 Thanksgiving Day game in Tiger Stadium against their rival, Catholic High! He completed a 400-hour mechanical piping course at LSU and earned various certifications at the vocational trade school. He proudly served his country in the US Army during World War II in the Pacific Theater as a member of the 8th Army in the Asiatic Pacific, being the first troop for the Occupation of Japan.He received numerous military commendations including the Asiatic Pacific campaign ribbon and a bronze star. His love and pride for America rang true his entire life, proudly wearing his WW II Army Veteran cap and flying the flag daily. He initially was a pipefitter by trade, a construction superintendent and later promoted to Director of Construction Services for H.E. Wiese and Jacobs Engineering, from where he retired in 1981 at a young age because he had a new boat and needed time to use it! He was a lifelong member of Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church and an usher for over 40 years. Bud met the love of his life, Shirley Rose Guilbeau, Carencro, LA, while they were both employed at the LA Highway Department. Their marriage was held May 26, 1944, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Baton Rouge, LA. He always attributed his success and strength to the steadiness and love she provided him and their five children. Bud loved to sing and listen to music, specifically the big band sounds of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett and Perry Como, but his favorite song, and the song he and his wife shared together, was “You’ll Never Know” by Harry Warren & Mack Gordon. They were married for 77 years before her “passing” on April 11, 2020. He was an avid duck hunter and fisherman, spending a great portion of his life in the swamps and bayous of Louisiana. He wrote and published a novel on his experiences in the Louisiana marshes in 1999, entitled Green Heads and Black Bass: Hunting and Fishing in South Louisiana. His best hunting and fishing companion besides his son-in-law Chet, was his chocolate lab, Rusty, who Bud had trained himself. His hobbies also included boat racing, and he was a huge sports enthusiast! Bud is survived by his five children, Richard (Beverly), David, Carolyn Thompson (Chet), Nancy, and Patricia. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Amy Thompson Behrnes (Jean Paul), Ashley Thompson Houston (Joshua), and Hayley Oliver Hall, and great-grandchildren, Lucy Rose Behrnes and Henry Scott Houston. He leaves behind his brother-in-law, John Bowden of Dallas, TX, and nieces, nephews, and countless friends across the state and country. Bud is preceded in death by his wife, Shirley Rose Guilbeau Oliver; his parents, Rock Oliver and Annie Campagna, of Baton Rouge, LA; his sisters, Joyce Oliver Bowden and Josie Mae Oliver Monica, and his son-in-law, Robert H. Hall. A special thanks to his caregivers, Shanir, Barbara, and Rebecca, and to the physicians and nurses at Baton Rouge General Hospital, Bluebonnet. Visitation will be held at Green Oaks Memorial Park on Thursday September 19, 2024 from 12-2pm, followed by an outdoor burial service at 2:00 p.m. Honorary pallbearers are Richard Oliver, David Oliver, Chet Thompson, George Campagna, J.A. Campagna, Coleman Raleigh, John Bowden, Jeff Bowden, Johnny Monica and Ron Jude Monica.