Robert Fletcher

Robert G. "Bud" Fletcher, died Friday, March 17, 2017 in Sauk Centre, Minn. Bud was born December 29, 1916 in Aberdeen, S.D., where he enjoyed an idyllic childhood with his parents, George and Minnie (Balle) Fletcher, his two older brothers, Howard and "Boone" (Frederick), and his older sister Jane. The foursome spent their summers fishing and swimming on Big Sand Lake near Dorset, Minn., with their grandparents and cousins.

Bud graduated with an accounting degree from the University of Iowa in 1939 and followed his older brothers into the FBI that same year, serving briefly as a messenger, file clerk, and tour guide before becoming a Special Agent from 1941 until he retired in 1972.

He met his wife Betty, a fellow South Dakotan, at the University, and they married in 1941. Bud and Betty followed Bud's job to Washington, D.C.; Springfield, Ill.; Chicago; Philadelphia, and Sioux Falls, S.D., before moving to the Minneapolis office in 1946. They lived in Edina-Morningside for 51 years and moved to Getty Street Assisted Living in Sauk Centre in 2005. Bud lived there almost 12 years. Betty died in September 2008. His oldest daughter Jean died in November 2008. All three died at the at the CentraCare Health nursing home in Sauk Centre. Bud is survived by his son, Kent Fletcher, of Lafayette, Ind.; daughter, Linda Simpkins, of Sauk Centre, Minn.; son-in-law, Dave Simpkins; step-grandchildren, Eric and Michael Simpkins; their wives, Allison Sharkey Simpkins and Megan Feuerherd; step-great-grandchildren, Marie and Lucia Sharkey Simpkins; his nephew, Todd Wilkinson; his grand niece, Barbara Fletcher, and grand nephew, David Fletcher. The funeral will be held at St. Paul's Catholic Church at 304 Sinclair Lewis Ave. in Sauk Centre, Minn., at 11 a.m. Monday, March 20. The visitation will begin at 10 a.m. Please send memorials to Goodwill Industries.