Kirkland, Washington - Bud Bylsma, 93, passed away at his home in Kirkland, WA after dealing with cancer and kidney failure. Born in Lynden, WA, Bud grew up in Seattle and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1945. He was awarded a basketball scholarship to the University of Washington but wanted to attend a smaller school, so he attended Simpson Bible College and started a basketball team. That team beat SPU which then offered him a full basketball scholarship. He was a member of the legendary "Big Guns of '51" basketball team. His ball-handling skills and no-look passes as a 6'2" center amazed even his fellow players. He has received numerous alumni awards from both schools.

After marrying Patti Barber in Seattle, he starting working for Young Life, a Christian ministry to teenagers. His YL career took them to Philadelphia, Baltimore, the DC area, San Jose and southern California, and the Chicago area where he oversaw YL operations in four states. He finished his YL career in Portland, OR and moved to Bangladesh through World Concern to become the Executive Director of HEED Bangladesh (Health, Education, Economic Development), an international Christian consortium. In the 4 years he was there, he replaced all the western staff with Bengalis and nationalized the Board, making it one of the largest turnovers in the history of Christian missions.

Bud and Patti returned to the Seattle area where he worked at Bethany Presbyterian Church and helped develop ministries to urban areas. He created the Northwest Leadership Foundation to "encourage, strengthen and development leadership for the social and spiritual renewal of the city." Working with black leaders, he created the Coalition for Community Renewal that helped with housing, education, and job development. The foundation grew to have staff in Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, and Salem. He and Patti moved to Portland and continued advising organizations about their effectiveness and helped create several non-profits. At age 71, he went to Albania with World Concern to help resettle thousands of refugees from Yugoslavia. He and Patti also made several trips to Cuba to visit her family and teach local leaders. They also visited several other countries on short-term missions. He retired from ministry at age 85.

Bud is survived by Patti, his wife of 70 years, his four children: Cherie of Kauai, HI, Dr. Peter (Noreen) of Kirkland, Philip (Deanna) of Bainbridge Island, and Dr. Stephen (Anita) of Arroyo Grande, CA; 7 grandchildren, 4 great grandchildren, and his sister Jeanne (David) Greene of Sun City West, AZ. A public graveside service will be held at Abby View Memorial Park in Brier, WA at 10:00 am on June 1. His memoirs will be published this summer. Share your memories and pictures of Bud at www.LifetimeCelebrationsByWashelli.com