Maurice 'Bub' Dunn, 78

Maurice “Bub” Dunn died unexpectedly at home on the afternoon of Sept. 5, 2026, at the age of 78.

Bub was born Nov. 10, 1947, in Lansing, Mich., the sixth of nine children born to Arlus Hall Dunn and Violet Eva Dunn (Ricks). As a youth, he worked with his siblings for the family business, Arlus Dunn Cleaners, until he graduated from Eastern High School in 1965. He then attended the Conservation Camp in Ludington, Mich. In 1967, he volunteered for the Army and served our country as a member of the 25th Infantry Division in the Republic of Vietnam until 1968 where he reached the rank of Sergeant E-5 and earned two Purple Hearts as well as three Bronze Stars.

Following his tour of duty, Bub returned home to Lansing and soon met his love, Linda Piddington. The two married April 18, 1970, and would share in life’s adventures for the remainder of his days. They have one son, Rich, who lives in Sandpoint, Idaho, with his wife, Paige, and Bub’s best four-legged buddy, Benji.

Lansing is also where Bub began his career in parks management. He worked for the city of Lansing Parks Department and transferred to the Potter Park Zoo where he became the handler for Bingo, the resident elephant. They family relocated to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, in 1977 where he worked for the Parks Department for one year before moving north to Bonner County so that Bub could assume the role of Sandpoint Parks Director. He held this position until his retirement in 2004 and oversaw the creation of the City Beach Marina, Traverse and Centennial parks, Hickory Street Park and was instrumental in bringing the traveling Vietnam Wall Memorial to Lakeview Park. Although he lived the remainder of his life in Idaho, Bub held strong to his Michigan roots. He loved to sing along to classic Motown and was an avid fan of Michigan State University Spartan football and basketball.

As his profession would indicate, Bub had a passion for the outdoors. He enjoyed deer hunting and camping at Priest Lake, fishing and boating on Lake Pend Oreille or simply spending the day working in his yard, which was a place of peace for him in later years. He and Linda took multiple trips to the Oregon Coast, Kauai and frequently wintered on the Gulf Coast in Florida and Texas. Reno and Las Vegas and Laughlin were also on their list of favorite destinations.

Bub was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Daniel. He is survived by his wife, Linda, of Sagle; son, Rich (Paige) of Sandpoint; brother, Dick of Harrisville, Mich.; sister, Pat of Eugene, Ore.; sister, Judy (Dean) of Roscommon, Mich.; sister-in-law, Mary of Bullhead City, Ariz.; brother, Tom (Joe), of Orlando, Fla.; sister, Roberta of Cherry Log, Ga..; sister, Sue (Bill) of Morley, Mich.; and brother, Steve (Julie) of Harrison, Mich.; as well as numerous, cousins, nieces and nephews. His smile, gentle spirit and impish sense of humor are dearly missed.

An open-house celebration of Bub’s life will be held at Sandpoint Community Hall on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, from 2-5 p.m. He will also be remembered next spring in Michigan. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bub’s name to Alzheimer’s Association at donor services.alz.org.

Family and friends are invited to sign Bub’s online guest book at coffeltfuneral.com.

Arrangements are under the care of Coffelt Funeral Service.