Emmett Usinger

Born in 1929, in Clayton, New Jersey, Bud's father, Emmett Laurence Usinger, moved to Silver City, NM for treatment for tuberculosis in 1931.   Bud moved to Silver City, New Mexico, at the age of two to join his father and mother in Silver City.  The family lived on a small farm.  After his parent's divorce, he and his mother moved to Roxborough, PA.

Despite having suffered from polio as a child, leaving one leg weaker and shorter than the other, Bud's tenacity led to becoming outstanding in sports as a teenager, becoming a star pitcher in baseball. In 1945, he decided on his own to return to Silver City to live with his father.   Upon returning to live with his father, at the age of 16, he played high school football, and remained physically active and athletic the remainder of his life, (going to the gym regularly into his 80's).  He attended two years of college in Silver City at the New Mexico State Teacher's College (later Western New Mexico University), and worked with his father in his bookkeeping office in the summers.  During this same time period, he worked for the Silver City Mustang, a city newspaper, in charge of deliveries in all locations served by the paper.

Having worked as a bookkeeper, he discovered that he enjoyed accounting and decided to attend UCLA, where the author of his accounting text was a professor.  In 1951, he received his B.S. from UCLA and began his accounting career with Ira N. Frisbee & Co., in Beverly Hills California. In 1954, he joined Linder, Burk & Stephenson, in Albuquerque, and in late 1955, opened the firm's Farmington office.

Before moving to Farmington, one evening at the Hitching Post bar in Albuquerque, where an 18-year-old Glen Campbell was performing, Bud noticed Patsy Bonds, a 19 year old lovely girl available to dance.  He made his decision, promptly leaped the dining tables in the way, and asked her dance.  It must have worked, because two weeks later, they were married.

Linder, Burk & Stephenson merged with the then-largest accounting firm in the world, Peat Marwick Mitchell, CPA's.  Bud continuing working in Farmington.  Later, Bud decided to establish his own practice in Farmington, which eventually became Usinger and Stockton.  Participating in a Dale Carnegie course, Bud learned that he enjoyed teaching and decided to get his master's degree in accounting and teach.  He attended Denver University in 1963 for one semester, but learned that sports stars were receiving favoritism in grading.  That practice offended him, so he decided to leave education and return to private accounting.

He joined an accounting firm in Durango, CO.  Bud and Patsy found in Durango what for them turned out to be a relatively closed society, so they and their two daughters, Susie and Jan, returned to Albuquerque and Bud, rejoined Peat Marwick Mitchell.

In 1972, the family, now including daughter, Ann, born in 1970, moved to Midland so Bud could manage the tax division for four years before returning to Albuquerque in 1976.  He retired in 1983.  He continued working with one of his former clients, the Gorham family, who appreciated his extensive knowledge and skills in the oil and gas industry, acquired primarily in Midland.  He continued working with the Gorhams until his final retirement at the age of 80 or so.

Bud was the past President of the NM Society of CPA's, a member of the of the Independent Petroleum Association, as well as secretary-treasurer of the Albuquerque Petroleum Association.  He was a member of the Albuquerque Country Club and the Albuquerque Petroleum Club.

Bud was active throughout his life, jogging, golfing, skiing and flying airplanes.

He is survived by his wife, Patsy Bonds Usinger, originally from Tucumcari, and their lovely daughters, Susie McCarthy, and her husband, James, Jan Jeffries, and her husband, Tony, and Ann Usinger; his grandchildren, Russell McCarthy, Kristin McCarthy, Ryan Bromberg and his wife, Frances; and their children, Mya and Avi, the late Evan Bromberg, Samantha Bromberg Bilibei and her husband, Jed and their daughter, Aiden; and Bud's late older sister, Jean Peterson, and her sons, Richard and David Peterson.  There are many others in an extensive family.