Le Roy “Bud” Bunnell, 96, died of natural causes Jan. 30, 2023. He was cared for briefly at the VA Hospital in East Orange where he was the recipient of extraordinary end-of-life care.
Bud grew up in Glen Ridge and graduated from Glen Ridge High School in 1944. Following graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served as a signalman aboard LST 958 in the South Pacific. He was fortunate to have survived a failed Kamikaze attack on his ship and to ride out a major typhoon. Bud graduated from Pace Institute in New York (now Pace University) and received a business degree from the University of Miami.
Bud obtained his real estate license in 1947 and in 1950 joined his father’s firm in Normandy Beach where he served as the developing broker for Curtis Point and Mantoloking Shores. Bud was honored in 2016 when he served as Grand Marshal in the parade celebrating the 100th anniversary of Normandy Beach. After selling Bunnell Real Estate in 1983, he joined the Rumson office of Gloria Nilson Realtors. He retired at the age of 90 after nearly 70 years in the business.
Bud married Barbara Grove Bunnell in 1948 and together they raised three children, Steven, Barry and Peeka. Barbara died of cancer at age 51 in 1978. Bud’s second wife Joanne “Jan” Yorke Bunnell and her three children, Christine, Douglas and Tom, created what he proudly called his “Blended Family.” Jan passed away at 85 in 2009.
He greatly enjoyed time with family and friends both local and around the globe. His love of cruise ship travel took him to such destinations as the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Baltic Sea, and the Pacific. He and Jan often used their foreign trips to collect pieces for Blossom Cove Antiques, their shop in Shrewsbury.
He was a longtime member of the Seabright Beach Club and the Rumson Country Club. He was Commodore of the Rumson Yacht Club in 1974 and an enthusiastic golfer, with three holes-in-one to his name.
Bud was a lifelong devotee of duplicate bridge and was nearing his goal of becoming a Life Master. At the age of 89, he became an ACBL certified bridge teacher. He continued playing weekly up until his final game, enjoyed a few days before his passing.
Bud was predeceased by his parents Le Roy and Anna, his older sisters, Virginia Robinson and Shirley Engstrom, and his daughter-in-law Jean Bunnell.
He is survived by his sister Lois Wyckoff of West Palm Beach, Florida, and six children, Christine Flaherty and her husband Michael of Big Canoe, Georgia; Steven Bunnell of Norway, Maine; Douglas Yorke Jr. of Red Bank; Barrett Bunnell and his wife Divya of Sewickley, Pennsylvania; Thomas Yorke and his wife Jeannette of Atlantic Highlands; and Susan “Peeka” Tildesley and her husband Arthur of Fair Haven.
He is also survived by 15 grandchildren: Christopher and Catherine; Toshona, Autumn and Kevin; Douglas, Alice and Eliza; Narayan and Neel; Jacqueline, Jessica and Kristin; and Georgia and Artie; as well as two great-grandchildren, Romann and Emilia.
A memorial service and celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m. June 6, 2023 (Bud’s 97th birthday) at St. George’s-by-the-River Episcopal Church in Rumson. Thompson Memorial Home, Red Bank, has been entrusted with the arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made by check payable to VA New Jersey Health Care System (VANJHCS), Attention: Voluntary Service (135), 385 Tremont Ave., East Orange, NJ 07018 or to the charity of your choice.
The article originally appeared in the February 9 – 15, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
