January 4, 1929 to January 5, 2023 - Leland “Bud” Oliver, 94, of Woodburn, Ore. passed away Thursday, January 5, 2023 at Salem Hospital due to natural causes. He was born January 4, 1929 in Aurora, Ore. to Frank and Elsie Oliver. Leland was raised in Aurora, and later Canby, Ore. He graduated from Canby High School, where he was a wrestler and baseball player.
After graduating from high school, Leland enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving from 1948 to 1952. During his time in the Navy, he spent 3 years aboard the USS Greenwood DE679 Sonar Training Ship in Key West, Fla. He went to Oregon Technical Institute and graduated. In college, he played baseball.
Leland worked as a telephone company electrician, and as a fruit orchard farmer. In his spare time, he enjoyed flying planes, bowling, ballroom and swing dancing, and fishing. He was awarded the Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration’s “The Wright Brother’s” Master Pilot award for 50 years of accident free flying as a private pilot.
Leland lived most of his life in Oregon (Aurora, Canby, Winston, Woodburn, and Gervais), but also lived in Homer, Alaska.
He is survived by his son, Jeff Oliver (Heidi Oliver) of Oregon City; sisters, Evelyn McAninch of Canby and Donna Woodward of Sun City, Ariz.; and by his grandchildren, Stephen Oliver, of Molalla, Ore., Keri Keller of Homer, Alaska and Brenden Oliver of Lawrence, Kan. He is also survived by one great-grandchild, who will be born this year. Leland was preceded in death by his father, Frank Oliver and mother, Elsie Oliver.
A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. Friday, January 20, 2023 at Canby Funeral Chapel, 160 S. Grant St., Canby, OR 97013.
