Vayle H. Bunker

Vayle H. Bunker

Nov. 19, 1921 - June 11, 2014

CAMBRIDGE, Neb. -- Vayle H. Bunker, age 92, of Cambridge, died at the Cambridge Memorial Hospital on Wednesday, June 11, 2014.

He was born in Dover, Minnesota, to Wilbert E. and Catherine M. (Busswick) Bunker on Nov. 19, 1921. Vayle, while in high school in Minnesota, drove the bus to get kids to school.

Vayle joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942, and was trained as an airplane and engine mechanic. He served in the American theatre. He was stationed around the United States and finally stationed at the McCook Airbase. It was there he met a young girl from Arapahoe by the name of Juanita Melton. The couple married on Jan. 19, 1946, in Fort Worth, Texas. Vayle and Juanita moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where he used his GI Bill to attend a body and fender repair school.

He had many jobs, from selling Mason shoes door to door and working for Hormel's Car Dealer. Vayle and Juanita moved to Culbertson, where he and Dick Propp opened the Culbertson Auto Body Repair Shop and ran it for over 30 years.

Vayle retired in 1994. He and his wife enjoyed flea marketing for over 20 years. He was always going into thrift stores and garage sales to find many treasures. Even on recent trips with family and friends, he still stopped to look. Vayle was a member of the Good Sam Club, traveling and camping all over the US. He enjoyed travelling, taking his daughter on trips to Alaska, Amish tours that he planned and last month, enjoyed a trip to the Panama Canal.

Vayle was a member of the American Legion of Culbertson, participating in many of the organizations function, especially the Honor Guard.

Vayle was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Juanita on Nov. 3, 2011; two brothers, Alro and Gilbert; son-in-law, Robert Sandman; sisters-in-law, Lillian Melton and Carolyn Melton.

He is survived by his daughter, Linda Sandman; one granddaughter, B.J. and husband, Greg Puttergill of Tryon, Nebraska; two great-grandchildren, Duell and Tayler Puttergill, both of Tryon; two brothers-in-law, Roy and James Melton; and a special friends, the family of Patricia Sayer and Richard Sensil of Culbertson.

Memorial services are scheduled for Tuesday, June 17, 2014, at 2 p.m. at the Lockenour-Jones Mortuary in Cambridge with Rev. Jeff Donelan officiating. Inurnment will be in the Fairview Cemetery of Cambridge.

Friends may leave on-line condolences at lockenour.com. Memorials may be left in Vayle's name to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Lockenour-Jones Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.