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REFLECTIONS

reflections, howard lestrud, owatonna, steele county
Bud Schmuck
Long-time friend could always keep you laughing
By
Howard Lestrud, Contributing Writer

Look deeply into his eyes, and you will find love. Look a little deeper, and you will find mischief. Even going deeper, you will find a friend forever.

One of my best friends, E. G. (Bud) Schmuck, gave me another lesson in my own mortality as he passed on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023.

I have now even walked closer to the tower that will someday lead me to my own mortality.

I first met Bud at the Rush City Bakery. Bud and I would discuss our jobs.

He was a postmaster, and I was a newspaper publisher at a time (the early 1970s) when we were both learning our own trades.

How did we become friends? We both had an interest in snowmobiles, in swimming and in deer hunting. Because of our friendship with a large property owner near Stacy, Minn., Bud and I were able to go deer hunting every year the season was open.

Our friendship grew as we did more things together.

One day at coffee, I said to Bud, “Why don’t we go to Indianapolis to see the Indy 500?” I did in the busiest worlds think that it would happen.

I made a couple of phone calls to Indy officials, who said we could watch the race from Turn #4.

Our trip was made possible because my niece, Michelle, was living in Indianapolis at the time.

We spent the first day of our trip touring the track and meeting up with celebrities like James Garner and race car driver Mario Andretti.

We also walked the pits and headed to the major highways that had congestion written all over them.

Campers were all over the place. “Show us your…” was on one sign.

Bud drove on this trip, the vehicle being a Buick Grand National. My son Troy and Bud’s son Matt were able to drive this "super stud car.” Bud was at the wheel when a Chevrolet Corvette tried to outrun us.

I write this about Indy because it wasn’t just fate that brought us together. It was the desire to expand our lifestyles and life experiences. That we did.

Bud and I went to more events together: pro wrestling matches together and even plays at the Minnesota History Center. We went to a play featuring wrestler Baron Von Raschke, aka The Claw.

“Put it on me,” Bud challenged Baron. Baron put it on lightly. Bud then went over to Ken the Sodbuster and made the same challenge.

“That’s not so bad,” Bud bragged. Ken then applied more pressure, putting Bud to the floor.

Bud was a jokester and not ashamed of his name having a negative tone to it. Although “schmuck” is considered an obscene term in Yiddish, it has become an American idiom for “jerk” or “idiot.”

We saw the word “schmuck” used to refer to jewelry in Switzerland.

Bud loved to play jokes or pranks on people. He got in trouble a few times when he used his walking cane as a tickler on people he approached from behind.

Bud’s faith was very important to him, and he read scripture often at church. He also read scripture at his wife’s funeral four years ago. His family and group of friends also were important to him.

We will miss Bud Schmuck, someone who could consistently keep us laughing.

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