PORT ANGELES — A memorial for Jon Carlson Bugher, former Clallam County Fire District No. 2 fire chief, is scheduled for Saturday.
Bugher died Jan. 6 at his home in Port Angeles at the age of 69 after a battle with cancer.
He was interred last Saturday in a private ceremony at Fern Hill Cemetery in Aberdeen.
A memorial will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at First Baptist Church, 106 E. Sixth St., across the street from the Port Angeles Fire Department.
Bugher was originally hired by the fire district in September 1994 as the fire administrator and promoted to fire chief in 1998, said current Chief Sam Phillips.
“He was the first full-time fire chief in the fire district,” Phillips said.
He headed the combination professional and volunteer fire department through his retirement Dec. 30, 2011.
Many accomplishments
During Bugher’s tenure, the Deer Park and Shadow Mountain fire stations were built, and he oversaw the replacement of almost all of the department’s fire engines and ambulances, Phillips said.
“That is a monumental task,” he said.
Bugher was president of the Clallam County Fire Chiefs Association for 10 years and instituted many of the cooperative agreements between the department and other firefighting organizations.
Phillips said Bugher was involved in the Clallam County Master Gardeners and, with the information he learned there, implemented a program for homeowners, Firewise, which helped homeowners identify and remove highly combustible landscaping and replace it with fire-resistant landscaping.
He was commissioned as a Clallam County sheriff’s deputy in 2009 as a fire investigator and was a certified first responder and emergency medical technician.
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office awarded Bugher a Commendation Award for his work in 2012.
Bugher also volunteered with the Lions Club and the Elks Lodge.
Bugher is survived by his wife of 38 years, Mary Elizabeth (Beth Matthews) Bugher; and five children: Charity and her husband, Paul Oien, of Independence, Iowa; Dave and his wife, Karena Bugher, of Aberdeen; Rick and his wife, Cora Houlton, of Wasilla, Alaska; Jennifer and her husband, Dave Short, of Trapp, Md.; and Jim and his wife, Diane Houlton, of Raymond.
He also had 16 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
The family asks that, in accordance with Bugher’s wishes, donations be sent to Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County, 540 E. Eighth St., Port Angeles, WA 98362; or the Tall Elks of Aberdeen children’s fund, Aberdeen Elks No. 593, 1712 S. Boone St., Aberdeen, WA 98520-7513.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
