Donald “Bud” Priest

Donald “Bud” Priest from the Woodbridge Rotary passed away last Tuesday. Bud came into Rotary in 1971 when the Woodbridge Rotary Club was chartered; he was a charter member, their first president and a Paul Harris Fellow.

At 83 years young, Bud was still an active and participating member of the Club despite being slowed down by illness this past year.

Bud was a kind, giving man that cared greatly about Rotary, his community and young people. He was the driving force behind getting Ring One Boxing in New Haven established, which was one of his many passions.

His wife, children and grandchildren all commented on how important Rotary was to Bud. He would always have his kids and grandkids on the lookout for ‘Rotary Meets Here’ signs when traveling and did his best to be a visiting Rotarian wherever he went.

Bud was an ‘Old School Rotarian’ in that he flew under the radar doing a tremendous amount of good in his community without ever seeking attention or credit for it. He lived the motto Service Above Self everyday of his life.

Getting to know Bud over the past 5 years was one of the many positive life experiences that being a Rotarian has afforded me. The last time that I saw Bud was in May when we inducted two new Rotarians into the Woodbridge Rotary Club. He was very happy and excited about the membership growth in his Club and about the positive direction that the Club was heading in.

Bud’s Obituary can be viewed by Clicking Here