Hollis Edward “Bud” Brownlee, a long time and former resident of Oroville, Washington, died peacefully on April 4, 2021 at the age of 92. He passed away at his residence in Wenatchee, Washington after a brief illness.

Bud was born to Hollis Brownlee and Margaret Swartz Brownlee on October 27, 1928 in Ottumwa, Iowa. Bud attended Ottumwa High School where he was active in several sports (football was always his favorite) and graduated in 1946. After high school Bud joined the U.S. Army and served with the 82nd Airborne Division as a paratrooper in Fort Bragg, NC until he was honorably discharged in 1948.

Upon leaving the Army Bud enrolled at the University of Iowa where he graduated with a BA in 1952. It was during his time as a student at the university that he met his future and current wife, Margaret Fox from Riceville, on a blind date. They were married in 1951 in New Haven, Iowa.

Subsequent to graduating from the university Bud was employed as a Correctional Therapist at Fort Meade VA Hospital in Sturgis, South Dakota from 1952-1961.

Bud was an avid hunter and fisherman and frequently took the entire family on weekend jaunts in the Black Hills. In 1961 Bud became employed by the U.S. Border Patrol and was relocated to Chula Vista, California. California was a delightful change for Bud with it’s warm weather, sandy beaches and redwood campgrounds. Almost every free weekend would find Bud and the entire family on one excursion or another from swimming at the beach to hiking in the canyons around their home or visiting the zoo.

After a few years in the Border Patrol, Bud, transferred to the U.S. Immigration Service and relocated to Van Buren, Maine. It was a cold and rainy spring day in 1965 when the family drove into Van Buren, a small town located at the northern tip of Maine, separated from New Brunswick in Canada by the St. John River. What a change from the sunny beaches of California!

An opportunity arose in 1970 for a chance to live in Washington state and that’s when Bud and his family moved to Oroville. It was apparent from the beginning to Bud and Margaret that Oroville was a great place to raise a family and they lived there for the next 46 years until they moved to Wenatchee in 2016. Bud worked at the Port of Entry from 1971 until he retired in 1987 as a supervisor of five Central Washington stations.

Throughout his life Bud continued to love to hunt and fish and play golf. In the winter he was an avid bridge player and was known to anticipate his annual forays to Reno with his wife and a group of friends. Bud belonged to the American Legion Hodges Post 84 in Oroville, was an active member of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church where he served as an usher for many years and volunteered at the Oroville Food Bank.

Bud is survived by his wife, Margaret; daughter, Teresa and husband Kenneth Tripp; son, Richard Craig and wife Mary Brownlee; son, Robert Brownlee; son, Brian and wife Rebecca Brownlee; son, Scott and wife Kathy Brownlee and son, Kurt and wife Danna Brownlee. He is also survived by 16 grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren as well as his brother, Richard, of Ottumwa, Iowa. Bud is predeceased by his parents and sister, Winnifred.

Services to be announced at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Oroville Food Bank c/o Umpqua Bank, Oroville, WA or to the American Legion, Hodges Post 84, P.O. Box 272, Oroville, WA 98844.