Wilfred Stapley

Wilfred Cutler "Budd" Stapley, age 94, of Cedar Springs, passed away on Tuesday, December 6, 2022. He was born on April 22, 1928, in Hammond, Indiana, to Perl & Bernice Stapley. Budd proudly served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1946-1947. He earned the rank of Private First Class and was awarded the Good Conduct Medal before his honorable discharge. He later enlisted in the U.S. Air Force as an officer. He was awarded the World War II Victory Medal, Air Force Reserves Medal, Korean Service Medal, UN Service Medal, Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross, and the National Defense Service Medal. He flew over 75 combat missions before his honorable discharge in 1954, achieving the rank of First Lieutenant. He married Evelyn Tauber on October 17, 1953, she preceded him in death on March 20, 2018. Budd was a retired electrician and had been a member of the IBEW spending much of his career at Sherwin Williams. He enjoyed sailing, dog training, field trials, was an accomplished violinist and an avid reader. Budd was the loving father of Mitchell (Belinda) Stapley and Karen (Mark) Johnson; proud grandfather of James (Casey Guevara ) Johnson, Bradley (Allyson Dailey) Johnson and Emma Stapley; and was the "super grandpa" of great grandchildren Olivia Johnson and Nolan Dailey. A Memorial service will be held on Thursday, December 29, 2022, at 2 pm at The Brook of Cedar Springs, 4170 Solon St NE, Cedar Springs, MI 49319. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Brook of Cedar Springs for the benefit of the staff, who took wonderful care of Budd during the last four years of his life. Cremation arrangements were entrusted to Michigan Cremation & Funeral Care, Grand Rapids, 616-452-3006, exclusive providers of Veterans Funeral Care. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Wilfred Stapley, please visit our flower store.