Wayne G. "Bud" Folsom 1922-2005

ENYART, FOLSOM, HIMES

Posted By: Volunteer
Date: 6/9/2005 at 18:42:16

Wayne "Bud" Folsum

Funeral services for Wayne “Bud” Folsom were held Thursday, June 2, 2005, at the Schutte Funeral Home in Postville, Iowa, with Rev. Larry A. Olson officiating. Burial was in the Minert Cemetery, rural Postville, with military honors by the Ralph D. Waters Post No. 62 of the American Legion and the Lawrence D. Anderson, Post No. 4117 of the VFW, both of Waukon. The Schutte Funeral and Cremation Service of Postville was in charge of arrangements.

Wayne G. “Bud” Folsom was born November 2, 1922, to Gilbert and Flossie (Enyart) Folsom, in Postville. He died Sunday, May 29, 2005, in Northgate Care Center in Waukon at the age of 82 years.

Bud attended the local schools near his home. He helped his parents with their dairy operation, delivering bottled milk to homes in the area.

On June 10, 1941, Bud enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps and was trained as an aircraft mechanic. He subsequently qualified and was trained as a flight engineer. Bud served in combat for 23 months during World War II. He participated in campaigns which included Tunisia, Sicily, and Naples-Foggia. He was discharged September 14, 1945, as a staff sergeant.

Bud reenlisted, and it was during that time that he was part of a drama that received national attention. He was the crew chief on a C53 transport aircraft that crashed in the Alps November 19, 1947. The crew of four and eight passengers were rescued after several days of bitter cold without food or medical supplies. Bud was among those most severely injured, with a broken leg and foot. The survivors were finally located and carried off the glacier in stretchers to a point where ski equipped aircraft could land to pick them up.

Bud spent his last few years in various Veterans Home in Iowa, including Makee Manor, north of Waukon, and became a resident of Northgate Care Center in Waukon on May 10, 2005.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, George; and a sister, Marjorie.

Surviving are a son, Dan Himes of Dubuque; a sister, Nancy Folsom of Denver, Colo.; a brother, Murray Folsom of Texas; and several cousins, including Steve Folsom of Postville and Patsy and Jean of Waukon.

He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion.

Waukon Standard, Thursday, June 9, 2005