Howard D. "Bud" Crumbley, 52, Sturgis, died Saturday, August 28, 2010 at the Ft. Meade VA Hospital.

Visitation will be noon until 9 p.m. on Tuesday at the Kinkade Funeral Chapel in Sturgis.

Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at the Kinkade Funeral Chapel in Sturgis with Chaplain Randy Bradley officiating. Burial with military honors follows at the Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis.

Bud was born May 15, 1958 at New Britain, CT, to Charles and Maxine (Pratt) Crumbley.

His interest in the outdoors led him to the Boy Scouts of America. It was with the Boy Scouts he learned a true appreciation for nature and the skills needed to survive in the wilderness. He honed those skills to perfection, and in 1974 attained the coveted rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Scouting.

Feeling the need for more challenges, he became the assistant Scout Master of a newly formed troop for handicapped boys. It was there he learned that a person's limitation is directly linked to those that society has placed upon you. His leadership abilities helped enable these young men to overcome many of those barriers, allowing them to share in the adventures of Scouting.

As a freshman in high school he joined the Cross Country team, and earned his Letter as a long distance runner. Each year, over the next three years, the Cross Country Team would secure the state championship, thus becoming the only Class B School in the state ever to achieve this record.

Seeking more challenges, on December 27, 1976, Bud enlisted in the Air Force under the Delayed Enlistment Program. With the Vietnam War still fresh in their minds, many who knew him viewed this as a bad move and attempted to talk him out of it. Bud followed his own heart. After his graduation from high school he entered active duty on August 1, 1977, beginning with six weeks of basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Upon graduation he then attended the Jet Engine Mechanic Technical School at Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois.

Bud's first assignment was to Fairchild AFB, Washington from 1978 to 1981. He was assigned to the 92nd Field Maintenance Squadron's Engine Conditioning section. There he was the first Airman to be assigned to flight line engine maintenance, a section previously restricted to only NCO's. While assigned there he worked on B-52D, B-52G, KC-135A, KC-135Q, and T-38 aircraft. In June of 1978 he married Lynn Vilchinskas at New Britain, CT.

In May of 1980 they experienced the fury of Mt. St. Helen's first volcanic eruption and the arduous two weeks of clean up that followed. In November of 1980 their daughter Demeree was born.

In 1981 Bud's family moved to Pease, AFB, New Hampshire. Assigned to the 509th Field Maintenance Squadron's Engine Conditioning section, he worked many hours on the FB-111 and KC-135 aircraft stationed there. While there, his extensive system knowledge of the FB-111 aircraft earned him Red "X" orders for the Hydraulic, Electrical, and Environmental aircraft systems as well as his own Engine system. This extensive knowledge placed him in high demand for Temporary Duty assignments, leading him to assignments in all but one state within the continental United States.

Later, as flight line maintenance roles were placed under the umbrella of the Organizational Maintenance Squadron, he was recruited to duties as a Specialist Controller in Maintenance Job Control. There, his systems knowledge was put to the test again as he quickly learned all facets of Maintenance Control, including that of the Senior Controller.

In May of 1985 his son Scott was born.

In August 1990 as Pease AFB was preparing for closure, Bud was reassigned to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan. This assignment was short lived though, and within 30 days of his assignment Detachment One dissolved and he was absorbed into the 18th Component Repair Squadron working in the Jet Engine Intermediate Maintenance section, repairing F-15C and D model engines.

Upon completion of his first three year tour in Okinawa, he requested and received an in place Consecutive Overseas tour. During this tour, Bud volunteered to serve as the Resource Advisor for the 18th Maintenance Squadron where he flawlessly managed their 67 million dollar budget.

Fascinated by the island's history and the ocean surrounding it, he began exploring. His interests earned him and invitation to dig for soldiers lost during World War II. During this jungle exploration, his group aided in the recovery of several remains and numerous unexploded ordinances. Bud's interest in the ocean led to Scuba diving where he became a certified Rescue Diver and was called upon for several search and recovery operations.

In September of 1996, he left Okinawa and moved his family to his final assignment, Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, where he was assigned to the 37th Bomb Squadron's Specialist Section as the Jet Engine Specialist Supervisor.

When the 37th was called to duty in Southwest Asia, during Operation Phoenix Scorpion, he volunteered as deployed as the senior specialist as part of the 347th Air Expeditionary Wing. While there, the wing flew 100 sorties, which helped ensure compliance with Gulf War sanctions.

In 1999, Bud volunteered to take over the job of Vehicle NCO for the 37th Bomb Squadron. His skills and dedication turned this section completely around. His determination to succeed took the Vehicle section from marginal inspection rating to repetitive excellent and outstanding ratings, including two Top Wheels trophies and the first ever Zero Defect inspection in the history of the 37th Bomb Squadron.

After 24 years of active duty service, Master Sergeant Crumbley had the following poem read:

I asked that which others did not want to be.

I went where others feared to go,

And did what others failed to do.

I asked nothing from those who gave nothing,

And reluctantly accepted the thought of eternal lonelinessshould I fail.

I have seen the face of terror;

Felt the stinging cold of fear;

And enjoyed the sweet taste of a moments love.

I have cried, pained, and hopedbut most of all,

I have lived times others would say were best forgotten.

At least someday I will be able to say that

I was proud of what I was..An Airman!

Survivors include his wife Lynn Crumbley, Sturgis; son, Scott Crumbley, Blackhawk; daughter Demeree (Shawn) Towner, Anchorage, AK; parents, Charles and Maxine Crumbley, Spearfish; brother, Charles Crumbley, Jr., Brighton, CO.