Pence leaves impact on hometown Aurora

Aurora lost a lifelong friend and community leader last week with the passing of Bud Pence, who many say helped his hometown grow through personal and professional leadership while also setting a strong example by showing his faith and loving devotion to his wife and family.
Pence died Sept. 19 at the age of 97, having lived most of his life here in Aurora other than the years spent serving his country with the Army Air Force Aviation Cadets. One doesn’t have to look hard in this community to find someone who speaks with utmost respect about a man whose grandchildren knew him fondly as “Gramps” and/or “Chief.”
“Bud was a lifelong resident of Aurora and throughout that life he always kept the community in mind,” noted Gary Warren, a long-time friend and professional colleague. “He built houses, operated a hardware store, a real estate company and did a variety of things, but he always kept an eye on what was good for Aurora.”
Among the skills Pence brought to the table over many years worth of projects and proposals, Warren observed, was the ability to shape and close a deal, to Aurora’s benefit.
“He was a great deal-maker,” Warren said. “I got to know him best when working with the Aurora Development Corporation and meeting with prospects. He could always understand what the prospect was looking for and would give us guidance as a group because he paid attention to what they really wanted and was so good at reading the other party, understanding what their needs were and encouraging people to find a way to meet those needs.”
Having first lived in a Pence rental property and later built his home in the Pence Subdivision, Warren said one of his mentor’s greatest contributions to Aurora was in building its housing inventory over a span of many years.
“Wow, his housing impact was just tremendous,” Warren said. “Certainly he wanted to come out financially ahead, but he was always willing to take some level of risk to benefit the community and to help grow the community.”
Pence worked hard, Warren added, but he also played hard, taking time often to go fishing, play golf and spend time with his family.
“Bud worked 40 hours a day, but he played for 10 of them,” Warren said with a laugh. “He understood the balance of having a family and social life, needing to take time off but still accomplishing so much in his professional career.
“If you look at most of the industries in town he had some level of role in helping recruit them,” Warren added. “He was always looking for a way to move things forward, to get a few more people in Aurora, create a few more jobs in Aurora and you know we’re all the beneficiaries of that. When we see the population go up in Aurora, you’ve got to give a little bit of the credit to Bud Pence for helping make that happen.”
Though well known for his business acumen, having first run the family’s hardware store after his father’s early death and later launching other local businesses including Aurora State, Pence was also fiercely devoted to his family. He set an example for others to follow in that regard, staying by his wife Mary Ann’s side throughout the final years of a prolonged illness, often walking her through the park or sitting at her bedside.
“Above all the work he did for Memorial Community Health, he was a true gentleman,” noted Diane Keller, MCHI’s CEO. “He always had a smile and kind words for the staff at MCHI, but the dedication he showed to Mary Ann through the final years of her life will always be my most heart-warming memory of Bud.”
Keller also noted that Pence served on the MCHI board from 1995 through 2012, and was actively involved in the construction of clinics in Aurora and Harvard, as well as the Wortman Surgery Center, the new emergency room and the newest wing at Memorial Community Care.
Jayne Smith, whose father Ken Wortman worked side by side with Pence on countless projects, had kind words for a man she admired in so many ways.
“Bud was a huge asset for our community through the years,” she said. “His mentoring will go on for a long time in the future. He was not afraid to use his own money to get things started and make investments. Aurora is a much better place because of Bud.”
One example of Pence’s ability to mix his leisure time with community enhancement was the youth camp he and Mary Ann established near Central City. Lake Mary Ranch Camp was a successful endeavor that brought many years of camping to youth from all across the country, a facility which was later sold and became what lives on now as Timberlake Ranch Camp.
The family cherished Bud and Mary Ann’s commitment at Lake Mary Ranch Camp, in fact sharing a recording of the two of them, among others, singing a folksy camp song during Friday’s funeral service. Another recording delivered a personal message from Pence himself, who recorded some thoughts to be shared at his funeral.
“Thanks for the memories,” he said in his familiar, light-hearted tone.
Another emotional moment during funeral services at the cemetery reflected one of Pence’s greatest passions — aviation. Pence flew C-47’s in the Allied invasion and liberation of Europe, at the young age of 20, and logged more than 6,500 hours in the air throughout his lifetime. Local aviation friends paid tribute to him with a missing-man formation fly-over during the ceremony. John Wilcox and Kurt Franklin of Aurora flew their own small planes, with Rick Boardman of Henderson piloting a Stearman bi-plane, used as a trainer in World War II.
“Bud Pence has had an aviation career to be envied and to serve as an inspiration to generations of young boys and girls, young men and women,” Wilcox said. “Bud introduced many people to the joys of flying and never lost that joy himself. He was a sharp pilot with professional skills and we wanted to be like him.
“God speed, Bud Pence,” Wilcox concluded.