A photo of Lorenze Shoults’ high school reunion name tag. Shoults celebrates his 100th birthday this month. Friday, June 23, 2023.
When Bud Shoults thinks back to certain times throughout his life, he closes his eyes. Once he opens them again, he looks over at his wife looking right back at him.
Shoults, 99, and his wife Kay, 97, have been married for 77 years and currently reside in an assisted living facility. On Wednesday, Kay turned 98. On June 30, Bud will have his centennial birthday.
Bud was born in a small farm community in the West Lafayette area. Growing up during the Great Depression, Bud’s father had the family moving around due to his job. Bud said it was an “interesting lifestyle” and met a lot of people along the way, but it wasn’t long until the move to Modoc where he met Kay, the girl in the farm house next door.
Being in their late teens, Kay said she would mow the grass just to be able to sneak a peek at Bud leaving and coming home from work.
“We had a large front yard that had to be mowed every week,” Kay said. “After I got a look at him I decided I want to get better acquainted.”
“Thank goodness for grass,” Bud said. They laughed.
Not long after they were introduced, the two hit it off. It was around the same time frame when Bud received his letter for service from the Army. He was set to leave for New Guinea during World War II.
Across the world
During World War II, Bud first landed in New Guinea in 1943, traveled up the coastline with three different landings and eventually stayed on Biak Island, the staging area for the Philippines.
Back then, soldiers went off a point system, receiving so many points for a variety of reasons, such as if they were married with children, if they’ve been in combat before, how many years served, etc.
Bud’s original first sergeant had enough points to go home, and the commission officers had either gone home or “faded into the background somehow.” With the captain no longer available, Bud was made first sergeant.
He had to type up shipping orders for people and units from New Guinea who came up to the Philippines. They would then be sent by ship to Manilla to head home. Bud would sit up until two or three in the morning working on orders.
Bud recalls there being monkeys on the island, specifically a smaller one with an eye injury. They named him Little Joe.
Little Joe was used as a backup to the new radar, which didn’t always work right. Little Joe would get on top of the trees and make this screeching sound that would have the men stop and get quiet.
“He could recognize the sound of a Japanese bomber,” Bud said. “He was better than our radar to start with.”
Until they got their radar working right, they paid attention to Little Joe and would fire warning rounds in the air to let others know planes were on the way. Occasionally, he’d give the men wrong information, but Bud said he was pretty accurate.
On a rainy Thursday night, Bud finished up typing orders and turned off the lights and the putt putt generator, closed the office and hopped on the last truck to Manilla to head home.
“We were almost like brothers,” Bud said. ‘When you experience some combat with these guys you become attached to those guys. They were sorta looking out for you and you were sorta looking out for them.”
Home again
After returning home from the war, Bud and Kay got married on April 4, 1946. From there, they moved to Pittsburgh where Bud took a two-year course for commercial art.
They bought a trailer to stay in while he studied, and once he finished his course, they moved back to Indiana.
Bud had found a job in Indianapolis working for the art department with the Circling Engraving Company. He said they did magazine art, advertising art, labels for boxes and cartons.
Bud and Kay had one daughter, Linda. She was born in 1949 and was an artist who sold paintings under the name Shoults. Elaine Stiffler, Bud and Kay’s primary caregiver, mentioned that Bud was also an artist, and thinks that is who she got her talent from.
A year after having their daughter, they moved to Fortville.
After some time at the Circling Engraving Company, Bud got involved with photo engraving. With that experience, Bud got a job working for the Indianapolis Star where he did color separating for color printing plates. Bud worked at Indy Star for approximately 25 years, retiring in 1987.
Time in Fortville
While living in Fortville, Bud and Kay ran a youth group for their church, called Fortville United Methodist Church at the time, for about 10 years. This is where they met Stiffler back in 1974.
This youth group wanted to get together and do things outside of Sunday school, so they planned times for play, to eat and for retreats.
“Our retreats were very important in our religious life. We had some great experiences on those retreats,” Bud said. “Kids testifying, it makes you stop and think, back up a little bit.”
Bud was also part of the Optimist Club, which sponsored a lot of youth athletic programs. He said they were an exceptional bunch of kids that wanted to take ownership of their club, and that’s what they did.
“We had an exceptional bunch of kids I would say,” Bud said. “…If we saw one of them were headed in the wrong direction, we would try to give them counseling to get them back on the right track.”
With his work in the Optimist Club, Bud was awarded for outstanding leadership in 1994 and also received a district appreciation award. He also served as treasurer on Fortville’s Library Board for 11 years.
Miracle after miracle
Stiffler said Bud has been through some miracles, and he agreed.
After surgery, Bud was put on dialysis in the early 2000s. After seeing a couple doctors, he was told he’d have to be on dialysis the rest of his life. However, one doctor wanted to have Bud go on an extreme diet of low potassium. Afterward, Bud’s stats showed stability, and he no longer needed dialysis as long as he stayed on the diet. Bud has been on that diet for more than 20 years.
“That was a wake call for me,” Bud said. “It had worked.”
Another miracle Bud talks about is a visit to a friend that resulted in him falling. At the time, there was construction so Bud had to walk across the street to go visit his friend. In the process, Bud tripped over a wire and fell flat on the asphalt pavement. He was bleeding and a lady called 911, and took him to the ER. He had suffered from fractures and a broken nose.
In July of 2022, both Bud and Kay tested positive for COVID, and Bud had to be hospitalized and was unable to take certain medications due to his kidneys.
At this time they were still living in Corydon, where their daughter had lived and had an art studio. After 10 years in remission from cancer, Linda passed away in January of 2022.
After some time in the hospital and was once stable, they were recommended an assisted living facility close to Fortville that would be able to take care of their needs and close to where they lived for so many years.
“I consider my life to be a series of miracles that have worked in my life,” Bud said. “And I look to the Lord for any answers I need. He is always there.”
The party continues…
As for Bud’s 100th birthday, they plan to have a get-together to celebrate. Stiffler says people from out of state are coming, along with many people from the church youth group.
Outside of the party, Bud and Kay enjoy going to the occasional restaurant and Dairy Queen trips — a sweet treat that started during COVID as a way to get out of the house.
When asked about advice to give to others on how to live a long life, Bud joked and said, “Well I can be fickle, and say ‘keep breathing’.” He laughed. “The main thing is to treat other people the way you want to be treated. It’s a pretty good standard to embrace.”
