Bud Gaylord – Work Hard, Play Hard

Preston Arms Gaylord Jr, who everyone called Bud, left this world for his favorite fishing hole in the sky, leaving behind him an extraordinary legacy of 13 children, 24 grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren. Bud and his wife of 41 years, Claire Sullivan Gaylord, and their families are forever grateful for the attentive care of his great doctors and many caregivers.

Bud was born December 17, 1927, in Sodus, New York, on the banks of Lake Ontario. His father, Preston Arms Gaylord, was called “Tweet” because he liked hunting birds and his mother Marion Osborne Gaylord got the nickname “Whitey” because she had bright blonde hair.

Bud had two younger twin brothers, Bill and Ted, born on his birthday. Bill died of polio at a young age and Ted lived to the age of 77, sharing a lifelong friendship with Bud.

Growing up through the Great Depression in Sodus, when the shotgun shells were cheap and you had plenty of time to use them, Bud quickly took to hunting, fishing, and trapping. Over his life, he estimated he trapped over a thousand muskrats, mink, badger, and fox, and hunted deer, elk, moose, bear, and all sorts of waterfowl. He advocated for habitat conservation efforts knowing well that it would preserve his ability to hunt in the future.

Bud always had eyes for the next big thing. After high school, he got a job as a deckhand aboard Frank Ritter Shumway’s wooden schooner, “Skookum,” for a voyage from Lake Ontario to the coast of Massachusetts. While underway in a lock, he saved Mary Ellen Shumway, the captain’s daughter, when he quickly pulled her to the ship after she slipped and fell overboard.

Not long afterward, Bud and Mary Ellen married and made their home at historic Preston Farms next to Maxwell Creek on Lake Road. They eventually acquired and managed over a thousand acres of apples and cherries. On this farm, Bud and Mary Ellen raised 10 children—Preston, Lisa, Ritter, Randy, Tim, Mark, Laura, Peter, Sarah, and Topher.

The Gaylord family traveled together in a school bus, sharing many adventures. They skied in upstate New York at Brantling, McCauley, and Gore Mountain, bought a camp on a spring-fed lake in the Adirondack mountains (where there was a deer behind every tree), and took long tent-camping road trips out west.

Inspired by the greatest powder snow on earth, and the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, Bud adopted the “ready pole” as his powder skiing teaching tool and he was eager to share it with his family and friends. “The Ready Pole” became one of Bud’s many mantras, a message about life and the need to be prepared and centered for the next unpredictable event that comes your way.

Bud was one of the limited partners at Snowbird when it was just an idea for a new ski resort in Little Cottonwood Canyon next to Alta, Utah. While building The Cliff Lodge at the base of Snowbird, Bud and Mary Ellen sold the family farm and moved their family to Utah. A few years later, The Cliff was sold to Snowbird, and it became their flagship hotel.

Next, Bud became a realtor and continued to grow his family, marrying Claire Sullivan Gaylord, and gaining three more children—Johnny, Carrie, and Jeffrey. 

In his late 80s, Bud knew his luck wouldn’t last forever. He took many bird hunting and fishing trips with his family, friends, and dog, Tru. He flew all over the world. He skied his last day at the age of 87. And he often returned to his roots in Sodus and his favorite honey holes in the lakes of the Adirondacks. 

Bud would plan for months to get back to his favorite place in the world, Lake Canachagala. When he got there, he knew exactly where to go, 60 feet off the steep granite rocks on the far side of the lake. He’d tie a worm to his hook, keep the bait down 37 feet deep, and row slowly. 

The fish would bite within 30 seconds. It was as if they knew Bud was coming.

Bud loved nothing more than sharing the history and wisdom of his life learned from farming, raising children, fishing, hunting, trapping, skiing, and traveling. These stories were filled with truths and eternal optimism.

Bud will be remembered for his fun-loving, optimistic attitude, being gentle with words, and being slow to make judgments. He was gregarious, filled with common sense, and had an excellent memory. His remarkable spirit changed the life of everyone who knew him. When you were out with Bud, you felt like the luckiest person on earth. 

A Celebration of Life will be held on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, from 6:00 – 8:00 PM at Starks Funeral Parlor, 3651 South 900 East. Guests are encouraged to use the parking and entrance on the north side of the building.