Longtime Tri-Cities businessman and volunteer remembered for humor and heart

A longtime Tri-Cities businessman, former city councilman, volunteer and mentor died on Thanksgiving, leaving many to mourn his passing.

People flooded Bud Knore’s Facebook page with fond memories over the weekend, many commenting on his great sense of humor and heart of gold. He was 77.

Fellow Rotarian and Kennewick Police Chief Ken Hohenberg said Knore was always one of the first to step up and give his money and his time. He mentored Hohenberg when he joined Rotary in 1996.

He taught him how to balance his personal and professional lives while still finding time to give back to the community.

Knore used to say while it’s nice to be important, it’s more important to be nice, Hohenberg said, adding he was the type of person who could make people feel comfortable in a lot of situations.

“Bud was nice to everyone. ... People felt comfortable around Bud Knore,” he said. “Our community will miss his presence.”

His wife of 34 years, Marsha Knore, told the Herald he firmly believed those who could should, a philosophy that was formed by growing up without a lot of money. Helping the community was the next most important thing after taking care of their family, she said.

“We firmly believed that we needed to help those that we could in their time of need,” she said.

Bud Knore, a State Farm Insurance agent, opened his Kennewick business, Bud Knore Insurance in 1967 and operated it for more than 50 years, receiving several awards for his work.

It was a job that he loved, said his wife, noting he continued working up until his death.

He was a strong believer in community service, he said on his insurance agent page.

He was a founding member of the Columbia Center Rotary Club in 1985, a past president the Richland Chamber of Commerce and a member of Visit Tri-Cities.

He also stepped up to take over the United Way of Benton and Franklin Counties chapter president in the early 2000s. He was named the 2001 Distinguished Volunteer of the Year. And he was elected to the chapter’s board in 1996 and was the chairman of the chapter’s agency relations committee in 1998 and 1999.

He also served as a Richland city councilman in the 1970s.

Along with his community service, he also loved to travel, had season tickets to the Seahawks and loved old cowboy movies.

This story was originally published November 29, 2021 at 12:17 PM.