Paul L. “Bud” Sevareid

life story

Paul L. “Bud” Sevareid, age 92, died peacefully June 12 at home in Grand Marais, with Carolyn, his wife of 61 years, and his guitar and sketch pads nearby.

Born May 18, 1934, in Minneapolis to Elizabeth (Lockwood) and Paul A. Sevareid, Bud enjoyed hunting, fishing and family holidays in Grand Marais and the BWCA long before moving to the North Shore in the early 1990s. Bud was among community volunteers who helped launch WTIP radio. He fished area lakes, enjoyed wild game dinners and inked pointed cartoons on life, politics and the media.

Bud, a PR specialist and writer and editor for construction trade publications, graduated in 1952 from Edina High School. He played goalie on the school’s first hockey team, forging lifelong friendships and indelible memories of shoveling the rink in frigid weather before every practice. Bud served in the U.S. Army, studied at the University of Minnesota and honed his drawing skills at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, where he met Carolyn. They married June 12, 1965, honeymooning in Grand Marais before building a life in the Twin Cities area. Bud was a master of crossword puzzles and read newspapers, pen in hand, editing as he went. When his children were young, he enjoyed playfully teaching them new words — the more syllables the better.

Eventually, the beauty of Grand Marais, the fishing, friends and donuts (World’s Best, of course) pulled Bud back to the North Shore. In retirement, Bud got serious about guitar. He spent his final years playing music, sketching caricatures and cartoons, and sneaking leftovers to his dog, Chloe.

Along with his wife, Carolyn (Kerber), Bud is survived by his four obstinate and obstreperous children: Robb, Molly (Pete), Susan (Hasan) and Karen (Peter) Sevareid; his sisters, Virginia Bake and Janet Olson; and three grandchildren, Safiya Jamali, Ander Watson and Daniel Jamali. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Elizabeth Ann.

A celebration of life is planned for August 22, 1-4 p.m. (Rain date: August 23), at Bud and Carolyn’s home.