Bud Uptmor, of Cottonwood, will celebrate his 90th birthday Thursday with his family.
He was born June 17, 1931, in Keuterville to Herman and Mary (Hatke) Uptmor. He graduated from St. Gertrude’s Academy in Cottonwood, then spent two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He was stationed for one year at Eniwetok, in the Marshall Islands, working as a teletype operator.
He and Imelda Trautman were married May 22, 1954. The couple moved into the family farmhouse, just south of Keuterville, in November of that year, and he began farming and ranching in 1955.
He and his wife enjoyed attending dances together and also playing in local pinochle tournaments. She died in 1967.
He enjoyed farming, which he did for 50 years, raising wheat, barley, peas and hay, as well as cattle. He retired in 2004, but continued to help his son on the farm, driving a tractor and grain truck, and he still operates the swather in summers.
For 30 years, he bowled in one — and sometimes two — leagues. He enjoys mowing lawns, and working on small antique engines and landscaping his yard in Cottonwood.
In 2006, he began spending winters in Arizona, where he and Joni Houx enjoy playing in pool tournaments together at the Moose and Eagles lodges. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, they participated in more than 100 pool tournaments each year and played in the Yuma Senior Games every year. They enjoy dancing and socializing with family and friends, and making trips to Algadones, Mexico.
He has one son, two daughters, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
