William Edward "Bud" Houck was the only son of Bertha Lee Fleming and Edward Jerome Houck.
Bud graduated from Morganton Graded School and attended Lenoir-Rhyne College. As a child, he was mischievous and outgoing. His favorite subjects were math and history. He liked to sing and joke and when he was old enough to get a job, he liked to surprise his sisters with presents. One of his best friends was his cousin, Graham Hoyle.
In November 1935, Bud was married to Lillian Varner. They actually eloped because "Cricket" had one more semester of college to complete.
Bud worked most of his life at the Morganton Post Office, first as a money order clerk and later as a rural mail carrier. He also maintained Houck's Plants and Flowers where he sold bedding plants. At one time he raised exhibition gladioli. His other interests were listening to music and reading. He loved the big band sound and music of the 40's. He was active in his church and loved traveling country roads, preferably without a map.
Bud's friends were known to say of him, "He never met a stranger." That describes him well.
On the back of the last photograph ever taken of them together (included here), his wife quoted this condolence written by an anonymous poet:
Death doth hide
But not divide!
Thou art with Christ
And Christ with me.
In Him united still are we.
* * *
Bud graduated from Morganton Graded School and attended Lenoir-Rhyne College. As a child, he was mischievous and outgoing. His favorite subjects were math and history. He liked to sing and joke and when he was old enough to get a job, he liked to surprise his sisters with presents. One of his best friends was his cousin, Graham Hoyle.
In November 1935, Bud was married to Lillian Varner. They actually eloped because "Cricket" had one more semester of college to complete.
Bud worked most of his life at the Morganton Post Office, first as a money order clerk and later as a rural mail carrier. He also maintained Houck's Plants and Flowers where he sold bedding plants. At one time he raised exhibition gladioli. His other interests were listening to music and reading. He loved the big band sound and music of the 40's. He was active in his church and loved traveling country roads, preferably without a map.
Bud's friends were known to say of him, "He never met a stranger." That describes him well.
On the back of the last photograph ever taken of them together (included here), his wife quoted this condolence written by an anonymous poet:
Death doth hide
But not divide!
Thou art with Christ
And Christ with me.
In Him united still are we.
* * *
William Edward "Bud" Houck was the only son of Bertha Lee Fleming and Edward Jerome Houck.
Bud graduated from Morganton Graded School and attended Lenoir-Rhyne College. As a child, he was mischievous and outgoing. His favorite subjects were math and history. He liked to sing and joke and when he was old enough to get a job, he liked to surprise his sisters with presents. One of his best friends was his cousin, Graham Hoyle.
In November 1935, Bud was married to Lillian Varner. They actually eloped because "Cricket" had one more semester of college to complete.
Bud worked most of his life at the Morganton Post Office, first as a money order clerk and later as a rural mail carrier. He also maintained Houck's Plants and Flowers where he sold bedding plants. At one time he raised exhibition gladioli. His other interests were listening to music and reading. He loved the big band sound and music of the 40's. He was active in his church and loved traveling country roads, preferably without a map.
Bud's friends were known to say of him, "He never met a stranger." That describes him well.
On the back of the last photograph ever taken of them together (included here), his wife quoted this condolence written by an anonymous poet:
Death doth hide
But not divide!
Thou art with Christ
And Christ with me.
In Him united still are we.
* * *
Bud graduated from Morganton Graded School and attended Lenoir-Rhyne College. As a child, he was mischievous and outgoing. His favorite subjects were math and history. He liked to sing and joke and when he was old enough to get a job, he liked to surprise his sisters with presents. One of his best friends was his cousin, Graham Hoyle.
In November 1935, Bud was married to Lillian Varner. They actually eloped because "Cricket" had one more semester of college to complete.
Bud worked most of his life at the Morganton Post Office, first as a money order clerk and later as a rural mail carrier. He also maintained Houck's Plants and Flowers where he sold bedding plants. At one time he raised exhibition gladioli. His other interests were listening to music and reading. He loved the big band sound and music of the 40's. He was active in his church and loved traveling country roads, preferably without a map.
Bud's friends were known to say of him, "He never met a stranger." That describes him well.
On the back of the last photograph ever taken of them together (included here), his wife quoted this condolence written by an anonymous poet:
Death doth hide
But not divide!
Thou art with Christ
And Christ with me.
In Him united still are we.
* * *
