Leo H. “Bud” Slingerland

TROY- Leo H. “Bud” Slingerland, 91, of Troy, PA, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at the Troy Community Hospital. He was the loving husband of the late Mary Elizabeth (Weldy) Slingerland who passed away on September 7, 2011. The couple married January 14, 1945 and had 66 years together. Bud was born on February 18, 1922 in Troy, PA, son of the late Lynn A. and Florence M. (Miller) Slingerland. Bud was a 65-year member of the Trojan Lodge #306 in Troy. He was a graduate of Troy High School, Class of 1939, where he was a good athlete in basketball and track. For 25 years he held the school high jump record of 5,10. Bud was also a competitive pole-vaulter, using a bamboo pole, with a record of 11’9”. Coming from a musical family Bud was an accomplished trumpet player. He was selected and attended many Allstate Band performances during his high school years and continued enjoying his talent for many years later. After graduation from Troy High School Bud worked for Corning Glass Works. Following that Bud joined the U.S. Marine Corps to serve his country in World War II. He served for three years in the South Pacific in Guadalcanal and Bougainville with the 3rd Marine Anti Aircraft Battalion. After returning stateside Bud applied for band duty and spent the remainder of his service time in Quantico, VA. He also enjoyed playing in the Marine Corp Marching Band and Dance Orchestra. The Big Band era was very special to Bud and he was fortunate to have seen and heard many of the popular bands in concert. After he returned home to the Troy area he developed his skills in food sales and he finished his career in the field. First he worked for the Weldy Family in Burlington, PA and he operated his own grocery store in Springfield, PA. He was also employed by Spaulding’s and Stroehmann’s Bakeries, and the Archway Cookie Company. His customers enjoyed working with him, as he was always on time, good-natured and very efficient with his products. He was a very dependable man who liked a set time and routine and Bud had a perfect attendance record in his thirty-five years of working. A true American, he loved his cars and he reportedly owned 57 in his lifetime. The first was a 1935 Ford Convertible and the last a 2012 Malibu. For forty years Bud and Mary vacationed at their cottages on Keuka Lake. Bud loved spending time there, entertaining friends, swimming, playing with his dog Buffy and pulling his daughters on water skis. An avid trout fisherman, he used the Seth Green Downrigger and caught many large lake trout that he was very proud of. Bud was especially fond of animals! In later years he kept bird feeders. Daily he would fill them and many times the deer, squirrels, and bear enjoyed his treats. There were many thrills for Bud in his life and one was watching his grandson Mark play sports at Troy High. He did not miss ONE game during the basketball and baseball seasons. Mowing the yard at the Slingerland home on Route Six was a favorite pastime and he was still mowing and caring for home at 91 years of age. Bud and Mary loved their “brick home” but Bud never got over missing Mary’s cooking and her wonderful care of him and their home after she passed in 2011. He celebrated his 90th birthday by blowing all 90 candles out in one puff. “Good lungs” his father always said to him. Leo H. was a man who had a good life, a wonderful wife, two loving daughters, and grandchildren. He truly enjoyed his world in Troy, PA. His daughters Kathryn A. “Kitty” Woodward of Phoenix, AZ, and Sonja “Soni” and husband Dwight “Ike” Haflett of Granville Summit, PA survive Bud. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Angela M. Woodward and Mark (Amy) Haflett, and great grandchildren, Emma Lynne Haflett and Colin James Haflett, He also leaves a special nephew: Dr. Stuart Slingerland of Provo, Utah, and special “3rd daughter” Jil Swarthout. Bud was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Mary, and his brother Dr. Elwood Slingerland. Leo Harley Slingerland will be laid to rest beside his loving wife Mary in Glenwood Cemetery on East Main Street, Troy, PA. Services will be private and at the convenience of Bud’s family. The Gerald W. Vickery, Jr. Funeral Home, Inc. 1093 West Main Street Troy, PA has been entrusted with the arrangements. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in Bud’s memory to the New Troy Community Hospital Fund, 100 John Street Troy, PA 16947.