Preston Arms 'Bud' Gaylord, Jr.
December 17, 1927 - February 1, 2023
Preston Arms (“Bud”) Gaylord, Jr., age 95, danced and offered a classic toast at a granddaughter’s wedding on December 31, but he died a month later, on February 1, 2023, of complications from pneumonia. He and his wife of 41 years, Claire Sullivan Gaylord, and their families are forever grateful for the extraordinary life he was able to lead, partly due to the attentive care of his doctors and modern medicine.
An avid outdoorsman, Bud was a hunter, trapper, fisherman, and lover of downhill skiing since the days when leather boots were held to wooden skis with a leather thong. He taught his children, grandchildren, and many friends the “ready pole” method of skiing up until his 80s. This retirement from skiing allowed him to focus on the next travel adventure and build and share his lifetime of legendary good character. Bud will be remembered for his fun-loving, optimistic attitude about life, being gentle with his words, and being slow to be judgmental. He was gregarious, filled with common sense, and had an excellent memory that he shared with charming and wise stories that helped shape the lives of family, friends, and neighbors; who were close to him.
Born December 17, 1927, in Sodus, New York, to Preston Arms Gaylord (“Tweet”) and Marion Osborne. He had twin brothers who predeceased him, Willis T. Gaylord III (“Bill”) and Edward Osborne Gaylord (“Ted”).
In the first half of his life, he was a fruit grower who owned and managed hundreds of acres of trees at historical Preston Farms in Sodus. After he and his wife of 25 years, Mary Ellen Shumway, became original partners in Snowbird Resort, they moved their family to Salt Lake City to build and start the first full-service hotel at Snowbird, the Cliff Lodge. His roots in Western New York and the Adirondack Mountains remained deep; he and Claire clung to them even though they always considered their move to Utah the best thing for their families.
Bud was the father to 12 children, grandfather to 24, and great-grandfather to 8, all of whom survive him and cherish the time they had together.
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.
Please come back to view the extended obituary that will be posted by Tuesday, February 7, 2023.
In Loving Memory
Dear Claire and family, What a wonderful life it has been and I am so glad that Bud has been such a long term great friend since we met in 1973. He was one of my first skiing buddies when I arrived in Utah but I could never convince him to get on a snowboard when I ditched my skis in 1989. In the last decade, he has valiantly tried to teach me to not only be an accomplished fly fisherman, but also a trapper and hunter of varmints and elk on my property up in the mountains. The few photos that I posted reveal some of the good times that we had up in the mountains. He has always been one of my heroes because of his enthusiasm for life. I feel so lucky to have shared him with the whole family over so many years. I will miss him dearly, as I know all of you will. Dirk Noyes
I met Bud at the tender age of 20, spending the weekend at their beautiful place in the Adirondacks. Meeting your boyfriend's family can be anxiety provoking :) Being seated at the right hand of Bud, with his warm smile and easy questions, made me feel right at home. I hope you all find peace in the wonderful memories and energy Bud planted within your soul.
I first met Bud in the summer of 1999. We purchased Maxwell Creek Inn B&B in 1998. One day, He and Dave Seargent came barreling down our little apple orchard in a pickup truck reminiscing about the place. He introduced himself and told some wonderful stories about his children growing up there. He still had a love for the OL homestead; Preston Farms aka Maxwell Creek Inn. Over the years I met most of his family as well as his brother Ted. When ever Bud or his family were in Sodus they would be sure to stop by just to say Hi and reminisce about the old homestead. A wonderful friendship I will never forget.
Bud taught me many things through the years, but the most important thing was the value of being happy in the moment. His smile will live on forever, and will be remembered by us all.
We always love a Gaylord gathering especially if Bud was going to be there. He always had a great story for us. Going to miss his stories, his big smile and the twinkle in his eyes. RIP Bud ��
We send our deepest sympathy to Claire and all the Gaylord family. What a wonderful life Bud lived and what a beautiful legacy he leaves behind. His strong family, amazing spiirit and zest for life and that great smile! Our lives touched many times - at Alta/Snowbird (back in the day) and later when he helped us find our house in Holladay. What realtor would drive a new Mum and her 3 month old baby around in a car seat searching for a home? Bud did!!! We had so much fun! We still live in the house and Bud will always have a special place in our hearts.
In Loving Memory
