Quentin "Bud" Biesemeier

Quentin Walter "Bud" Biesemeier passed on peacefully Friday, Feb. 2, 2024 at the Haxtun Hospital Extended Care Unit at the age of 93.

Bud was born Nov. 11, 1930 to Walter and Emma (Finkner) Biesemeier at the then-family home in Paoli. Bud and his sisters, Edith and JoAnn, and their parents moved several times during his early years, until Walt purchased the farm site southwest of Paoli in 1942. This would become Bud's permanent home for the next 60 years.

Bud attended school at the Broadway School, the Paoli School and graduated from Haxtun High School in 1948.

In 1950, Bud married Bonnie Lue Maine. To their union were added daughters Nancy and Connie and son Brian. With his father's retirement in 1956, Bud assumed full responsibility for the growth and success of the family farming and livestock operation, plus a later joint enterprise with several neighbors to develop the HBF Feedlot east of Haxtun in 1969. His passion and drive, aided by the support and assistance of his family and those he hired throughout the years, along with rapid advancements in agricultural technology and economics from the 1960s to the present, made expansion and productivity of these possible.

Along with his business acumen, Bud possessed a strong desire to learn from and contribute to entities in his community and beyond. To that end, he served on many boards throughout his life: the Haxtun Coop Oil Board in the late 1960s, then the Sterling Federal Land Bank and Phillips County Commissioners. His local Land Bank service from 1972 to 1987 ultimately led to his selection to serve as one of the directors on the Federal Land Bank Board in Wichita, Kan., from 1990 to 2001. Following his Farm Credit service, Bud successfully ran for Phillips County Commissioner for District 3, in which capacity he served from 2001 to 2013. Also, Bud was a 50-year member of the Haxtun Lions Club and was a member of the Masonic Lodge in Haxtun, Wray and Sterling. Bud served as a board member for the First National Bank of Holyoke from 1987 to 1991 and Jack's Bean Company from 2002 to 2009. As lifelong members of the Haxtun Methodist Church, Bud and his family have served the church and its outreach ministries in many ways over the years.

In 2001 with their move into Haxtun and semi-retirement, Bud and Bonnie were honored as Co-Grand Marshals of the 2013 Phillips County Fair and after Bonnie's passing in 2016, Bud was the 2018 Grand Marshal for the 97th annual Haxtun Corn Festival where he shared the parade float with his eight grandchildren and their families!

He is survived by daughters Nancy and husband Rob Dee, Haxtun, and Connie and husband Don Reutter, Wheatland, Wyo.; son Brian and wife Lori Biesemeier, Haxtun; eight grandchildren;15 great-grandchildren; brother-in-law Larry Deremo, Dove Creek; sister-in-law Onna Lee (Maine) and Woody Reddy, Arizona City, Ariz.

Bud is preceded in death by his parents Walter and Emma; wife Bonnie; brother-in-law Eugene and sister-in-law Vona (Covert) Maine; sister Edith and brother-in-law Chester Harms; niece Joyce Harms; sister JoAnn Deremo; sister-in-law Elsie Mae (Maine) Fisbeck; and brother-in-law Leo Fisbeck.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Haxtun Methodist Church on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 11 a.m. with Pastor Jeri Soens officiating. The service may be viewed at YumaFuneralHome.com through the Holyoke link.

Memorials may be made to the Bud Biesemeier Memorial Fund in care of the Haxtun Methodist Church, P.O. Box 145, Haxtun, CO 80731.

Baucke Funeral Home, Holyoke, has been entrusted with the arrangements. Viewing is possible from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9 at the funeral home located at 1220 SW Interocean Drive in Holyoke.