Bruce "Bud" Champlin

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Bruce (Bud) Champlin, 71 a resident of Centralia the majority of his life, passed away at home in the arms of his daughter Lisa on October 21, 2020. He was born August 3, 1949 in Centralia, Wash., where he grew up and graduated from Centralia High School.

Bud married Joan Cleary March 15, 1980 and had many wonderful years with Joan before her passing January 7, 2018. They lived in Rochester and Centralia, where they raised their daughter Lisa.

Bud worked many years at Kinnear Door before purchasing and operating First Street Grocery in 1989 and became the "Candy Man." During his younger years, he enjoyed belonging to Jeep Clubs where he raced and rolled jeeps in the mud. Bud also loved his sports. He coached Lisa's softball teams for years and was an avid Mariner and Seahawk fan. On game day, if not hosting at home, you could bet Bud was at the Lucky Eagle Casino gambling on his favorite team, feeding a penny machine, or eating at the seafood buffet. He enjoyed Mariner Spring Training in Arizona and travelling to Hawaii. After many years in a row of traveling to Hawaii, he decided to bring a little Hawaii home to Centralia. He created his own little Hawaiian paradise in his back yard. Pool, patio, palm trees, coconuts and your favorite cocktail all included. Family and friends were the beneficiary of Bud's hospitality as he enjoyed hosting barbeques, birthdays, holidays and sporting events at his self-created sanctuary. If not hosting an event or at a ballgame you could always find Bud working/improving his (or someone else's) home and garden, usually sitting on his John Deere tractor or mower. He was an impeccable operator and the pride of ownership is evident at his home/farm/garden/patio/pool. He was able to turn his passion of yard work/gardening into a tractor business with his John Deere and if you weren't sure he was the man for the job all you had to do was drive by his home and see how he operated, enough said.

For the last couple years, Bud enjoyed being live-in "Papa" to the apple of his eye, granddaughter Leslie J. During the last couple years, he developed a strange condition of not being able to say no. For some reason that word in his vocabulary was replaced with "Well, I guess, Leslie."

Bud is survived by his daughter Lisa Gonia, granddaughter Leslie J. Gonia, ex-son in law Travis Gonia; sisters Patti Rae Bingham and Marilyn (Ernie) Armstrong; in-laws Tom (Tricia) Cleary, Margaret (Carl) Knapp, Theresa (Don) Conners, John (Patty La Fond) Cleary, Ann Cleary, Joe (Julie) Cleary and numerous nieces and nephews.

A visitation is set for Wednesday October 28, 2020 from 1:00 -- 5:00pm at Sticklin Funeral Chapel. No services scheduled at this time.