BUDD

Reverend Steve Gordon Budd of Hoadley, Alberta, our beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend, passed away at home on Monday, December 9, 2024, at the age of 77 years.  He is now resting in the comfort of his Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Steve was born on April 19, 1947, in Rimbey, Alberta, the firstborn son of Orville and Jean (née Steeves) Budd who were residents of the Iola District.  Steve obtained most of his schooling in Bluffton and Red Deer.  After graduation, he went on to attend the Mountain View Bible College in Didsbury, Alberta.  It was there that Steve met a lovely young lady from Nebraska, U.S.A. named Elaine Ruth Thornton.  He was smitten – and asked for her hand in marriage on the Bluffton Bridge – the same bridge that his father proposed to his mom on – and Elaine said, “Yes”.  They were married in Nebraska on August 5, 1968, and shared 56 wonderful years together.

Motivated by a strong prompting, his love for his Lord, and his concern for others, Steve became a minister.  His first church was the Montgomery United Missionary Church in Calgary.  On February 12, 1970, their daughter April was born to brighten their lives.  Following Montgomery, Steve and Elaine pastored at Meeting Creek and Athabasca, Alberta.  During their time in Athabasca, they welcomed a foster daughter, Claudine, into their home and hearts.  Steve then took time off from pastoring, moving to Square Lake, Alberta, north of Lac La Biche, where he and his brother-in-law ran a Christian-based guest ranch with lots of help from family and friends.  While there, he also worked for Alberta Central Airways as office manager and dispatch. 

The family moved back to Athabasca in 1985, where Steve took up farming while still working for Alberta Central Airways.  On November 11, 1988, in the midst of an unforgettable Remembrance Day hunting accident, Steve promised God he would return to preaching if he survived.  God performed a miracle and still had plans for Steve’s life.  That accident was followed by 36 years of health challenges, miracles, countless prayers of friends and family, and sheer determination on his part.  Steve returned to the ministry, first in Oyen and then in Cremona, Alberta, where he was diagnosed with Hepatitis C from tainted blood transfusions.  A huge benefit auction, organized by dear friends, provided the opportunity for the Cremona community, past congregations, and friends and loved ones to supply Steve and Elaine with housing while he was taking Hepatitis C treatment. 

When he was able, Steve returned to pastoring, this time to the Hoadley Evangelical Missionary Church – one of his dreams.  After his health failed again and he resigned at Hoadley, Steve retired from active ministry on their Hoadley acreage, but his passion to minister to others was present to the very end. 

Steve’s personality was unique.  He had a merry laugh, and a loud voice that did not need a microphone.  He had a one-of-a-kind sense of humour – enjoying good pranks, water fights, family games, and he absolutely LOVED to tease!  Steve entertained at family gatherings with jokes and crazy skits, complete with a toilet-seat guitar and floppy wig.  He possessed a great love for the outdoors – hunting, camping, quadding, and ice fishing with anyone willing.  Steve also liked long road trips, including taking Elaine to visit her family in Nebraska, Oregon, and Oklahoma.  These road trips often included driving through the night – and in his mind, the worse the storm, the better.  Steve’s great joy (better labeled an “addiction”) was finding a bargain at auction sales.  Others often benefited from the treasures he found.

He was just “Steve”.  And we all loved him.

But he had his serious side as well.  He could mingle and chat with anyone.  He had a passion for people, and he lived his faith with intense dedication.  The words of the Scripture were to be held in reverence – and to be preached in all its truth.  Steve’s greatest desire was to know Christ and for all to come to a saving knowledge of the Saviour!

Steve is survived by his loving wife Elaine; his daughter April and her husband Evan Klippenstein; as well as three grandchildren Aaron Gordon and his wife Olivia, Joel Steven, and Gabriel Jude.  His is also survived by his brother Dave (Marilyn) Budd; his sisters Gloria (Paul) Quantz, and Melody Budd; two sisters-in-law Eva Reeves, and Esther Loncosky; in addition to a large extended family who will miss him greatly.  Steve was predeceased by his parents, Orville and Jean; and his foster daughter Claudine Valerie Nadeau. 

It was asked, “How do we replace Steve?”  The answer is, of course, “We don’t.  We can’t.”  We can only thank God that he was part of our lives for his 77 years.  We would not wish him back.  He has suffered enough.  Now it is time for his celebration with all those who were there to welcome him to glory.  Now we continue on – to live our lives in dedication to the God who has numbered our days – trusting in Jesus for salvation so that we will be able to one day join this one we have loved, because we too know his God personally.

A Public Funeral Service in Celebration of Steve’s Life will be held at the Hoadley Evangelical Missionary Church, Hoadley on Monday, December 16, 2024, at 2:00 p.m.  A time of fellowship and dessert refreshments will follow in the Hoadley Community Hall.  A Private Family Interment will precede the service in the Hoadley Cemetery, Hoadley.

If desired, memorial donations in Steve’s memory may be made directly to the Hoadley Evangelical Missionary Church, c/o Steve Budd – Memorial Art or Camp Scholarship.  Please feel free to send by mail to:  Box 1, Site 7, RR 2, Bluffton, Alberta  T0C 0M0; or due to the current postal strike, by email to:  https://hemc.churchcenter.com/home; or by e-Transfer to:  hemc611treasurer@gmail.com.  Thoughts and messages to the family may be shared through the condolence area located at the bottom of this page.

Service and Burial Arrangements for the Late Reverend Steve Gordon Budd entrusted to the care of