Dorothy White Budge passed away of natural causes at her home in Graham, Texas, on June 8. She was 96.
Dorothy White was born Oct. 26, 1913, in Logan, Utah, to Joseph Barnard and Rachel White. Along with her four brothers and two sisters, Dorothy was raised on a family farm in Paradise, Utah. Growing up with such a large family, Dorothy learned at a young age how to be both tough and nurturing as the situation warranted, defining her demeanor for the years to come.
She attended South Cache High School in Hyrum, Utah, where she played saxophone in the school band. After graduation, she joined an all-girls jazz band and traveled through Utah and Idaho playing music, making friends and generally enjoying the adventures of her youth. She returned to Logan to attend Utah State University where she pledged to the Chi Omega sorority. It was at Utah State where she met her future husband, Omar Sutton Budge, a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. After Omar graduated, the two got married on May 12, 1934, and made their way to St. Louis where Omar was accepted into medical school at St. Louis University. While Omar worked toward his M.D., Dorothy worked at a local stationary store and the two enjoyed their time together as newlyweds. While living in St. Louis, Dorothy gave birth to two boys, John and James. The couple returned to Logan after Omar completed medical school, where they had three more children - Richard, and twin daughters Susan and Dorothy. The youngest child, Dorothy, died soon after childbirth.
Dorothy was famous for knowing her way around a kitchen, effortlessly cooking extravagant meals without ever seeming to run out of recipes. She cooked everything from scratch and her home was a popular mealtime destination for friends, family and anyone else looking for a quick snack. She joked that she was so used to the traditional style of cooking that the first time she tried to heat up a dinner roll in a microwave she stuck it in for five minutes and it came out "rock hard and on fire."
Dorothy and Omar often played host to their many friends, frequently inviting people into their home for dinner and drinks and playing Nat King Cole records into the wee hours. The Budges were also members of the Logan Golf and Country Club, and for years Dorothy was active with her women's bridge group. No matter what the occasion, Dorothy was always the life of the party and never anything less than fashionable. Whether having company over to the house, dining at a five-star restaurant or simply picking up groceries, Dorothy could always be counted on to sport big, shiny earrings, perfectly tailored outfits, and one of her many matching handbag and shoe pairings. And of course, she was never seen without her jet-black hair neatly pulled back into a bun.
The Budges loved to travel, and every room in their home was decorated with paintings, statues, vases and other unique items they acquired on their adventures to Haiti, Egypt, Europe, Mexico and Hawaii. After the couple's children were out of the house and Omar retired from medicine, they moved to Palm Desert, California, where they enjoyed the hot weather, numerous golf courses and great array of restaurants. After Omar's death on July 12, 1988, Dorothy continued to live in their Palm Desert home for the next 18 years. During that period, her home was the rendezvous point for dozens of Budge family members for various holidays, vacations and long weekends. In 2006, after a number of health issues, Dorothy moved into an assisted living facility in nearby Temecula, California, where she was only a few minutes away from her son, Richard. In 2008, she packed up and moved to Texas in order to be closer to her son, James.
Dorothy will be remembered for her quick wit and biting sense of humor - a genetic trait that continues to thrive in the collective Budge DNA. Dorothy cherished and was beloved by all of her family, particularly her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She never missed a chance to tell them how much she loved them and was everything a grandmother should be - loving, patient and just the tiniest bit crazy.
Dorothy is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, John and Linda Budge of Cave Creek, Arizona; son and daughter-in-law James and Sherry Budge of Graham, Texas; son and daughter-in-law Richard and Greer Budge of Temecula, California; daughter and son-in-law Susan and Thomas Ballew of Elko, Nevada; sister June Squires, 99, of Ogden, Utah; nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, with one more great-grandchild on the way.
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