Frank (Bud/Buddy) Arthur Curnow Sr. 80 of Spearfish, went to his Heavenly Home on April 15th 2011 to be with his Lord and Savior, family and many friends.

Memorial services will be at 11:00 A.M. on Tuesday, April 19, 2011 at Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapel in Spearfish. Burial will follow at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis.

Bud was born to Frank and Mary (Wanhala) Curnow, July 26, 1930 in the (Old House in Terraville). Bud attended and graduated from Terraville Elementary School. He then graduated from the Lead High School in 1948.

Bud as a youngster, loved to roam the hills of his beloved town of Terraville. He enjoyed fishing, hunting and occasionally getting into some mischief as most boys do.

When WWII broke out Bud and every one else joined into the war effort gathering scrap iron, tires and everything else to help the cause for the war. In addition to his studies and gathering of materials, Bud always had a part time job to help out at home. Bud was never left with a lot of free time in those days; there was always something to keep him going.

When the Korean War broke out, Bud was one of the first persons to enlist. Bud completed his boot camp training at Camp Pendleton in San Diego CA as a Marine. He was shipped to Korea and spent most of his time on the front line from 1951 to 1953. During a battle his tank was shelled resulting in having a life time hearing loss. When the war was over he received many awards for his time in the service.

When Bud was released from the Marines he returned to his home town, working up to sometimes 3 jobs, he met a young lady name LaVona R. Richardson at a baseball game in Deadwood. In February of 1956 they were married. Soon their life became a 55 year adventure. Bud worked at the paper mills up near Duluth MN and then also on the Oahe Dam in Pierre SD. Finally they settled in Spearfish where Bud went to work at the Homestake Mine for 30 years with only missing 2 days of work because of sickness.

Bud and Vonie had two sons. Philip and Frank Jr., Bud was a real family man. No matter how busy things got, he always had time to take care of his family, including his sisters and brother, as well as anyone else in need of help. He enjoyed going camping, fishing, hiking, hunting, boating and bottle digging. It seemed that Bud was always interested in what was around the corner. Even when Bud was working full time at Homestake he put himself through college via night school. In 1986 he earned his Bachelors degree in History. We were all so proud of him and always will be.

Buds greatest attribute was faithfulness. He was faithful to everyone. If you were ill he would set beside you like an old hound dog making sure that you were OK. All of his family and most of his friends can think of a time where he came through for them not looking for a reward. Bud was a true man of heart. Something none of us will be able to forget. For this we will always love him.

Bud was preceded in his passing by his parents, sisters; Hazel, Alice, Margaret, Deloris and Frances, brother, John, one nephew and two nieces.

He is survived by his wife, Vonie, sons, Philip and Frank Jr., two grandsons, Ben of Brookings SD and Daniel of Pierre. He is also survived by sisters, Mayme Parsons of Virginia and Louise Hanson of Texas and a host of neices, nephews and friends abound.

Special memories from our family are when it was time to go berry picking, we picked many a choke cherries, raspberries and everything in between. Our favorite memory was going for many rides up into the hills. Sometimes we got ourselves into positions with the vehicle that we weren't quiet sure if we were going to make it out or not. One thing we will always remember is hearing Dads voice saying "Let's go for a ride!" I am sure that in the future we will continue to hear his voice and track off on an adventure into the hills.

The Curnow Family would like to extend a Special thank you to the Fort Meade Extended Care Unit for providing excellent care and love. We can never thank you enough for what you have done for Dad.

Happy is the man who falls asleep in the Lord.

Arrangements are under the care of Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapels & Crematory Service in Spearfish. Online condolences may be written at www.fidler-isburgfuneralchapels.com