Ernest (Bud) Wilson, Jr., 89, passed away peacefully after a brief illness on January 20th 2014 at heartland Hospital, surrounded by his family.

Mass of Christian burial will be at 10:00 A.M. on Monday January 27, 2014 at Sacred Heart Church, with Abbot Barnabas Senecal, OSB as celebrant.  Burial will follow in Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Atchison, Kansas.  The family will receive friends from 3:00 until 5:00 P.M. on Sunday January 26th 2014 with a parish rosary recited at 5:00 P.M. at Arensberg-Pruett Funeral Home.  Memorials are suggested to the Honor Flight, that provides flights at no cost to WWII veterans to see the WWII monument in Washington, D.C.

Bud was born on February 7th 1924 in Atchison, Kansas, the son of Ernest and Catherine Wilson.  He graduated in 1942 from Atchison High School.  On April 23rd 1944 he married his high school sweetheart and love of his life, Mary Margaret Ulrich, and left the following day to serve our country in WWII as a pilot.  After the war, he returned to Atchison to his wife, where he and Mary settled and raised a family of five girls.

Ernest served in the Army Air Corps from June 1942 until December 1945.  Bud achieved the rank of 1st Lt. Fighter Pilot with the 85th FTR squad, 79th FTR Group 12th Air Force attached to the British 8th Army Desert Air Force based in Italy.  He flew a P47 fighter plane on over 60 combat missions.  Bud was later a member of the American Legion and the VFW of Atchison, Kansas.

Following the war, Bud returned to the US Post Office and was a letter carrier until his retirement in 1979 at the age of 55.

Bud was a member of Sacred Heart Parish.  He enjoyed playing cards, snow skiing, and gardening and was an avid golfer.  After Mary retired from the Guidance Center, the two traveled extensively across the USA, visiting nearly every National Park, Hawaii and Alaska twice.

Ernest was preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, who passed away on August 24th 2010.  Survivors include his three sisters, Betty Rice, Aileen Bissing and Susie Landau, his five daughters, Kitty (Leonard) Buddenbohm, Mary Jo Clapper, Karen Welch, Deborah (Gunnar) Sundby and Terri O’Brate, 13 grandchildren Gregg (Gina) Paste, Traci (Skip) Miller, Nikki (John) Miller, Megan (Luke) Krusemark, Amy (Jason) Hawk, Janell Owens, Andy (Staci) Welch, David Welch, Ryan (Molly) sundby, Allyson (Luis) Missura, Phillip (Leslie) O’Brate, Matthew (Nicole) O’Brate, Alaina O’Brate, 13 great grandchildren Canyon Miller, Haley Miller, Caralyne Krusemark, Lucas Krusemark, Ashley Owens, Madison Owens, Jarret Owens, Bailey Hawk, Christian Hawk, Sophia Hawk, Ava Hawk, Elin rose Sundby, and Tristan O’Brate, plus two on the way.  He was preceded in death by his parents.

The family offers a sincere appreciation to the doctors and nurses at the Atchison Hospital and Heartland Hospital for the loving care provided during Bud’s hospitalization.