Charles "Bud" Vear ("Grandpa Doc" to his Grandchildren) was born in 1926, just before the Great Depression and World War II. He grew up in Wheaton, Illinois, a small Suburb of Chicago, spent two years in the Navy during the War before returning to earn an undergraduate degree from DePauw University. His dream of becoming a doctor took a while to blossom. He first earned a Master's Degree in Social Work from Indiana University and worked for the Chicago Boys Club in the inner city of Chicago, trying to turn troublesome teenage gangs into productive groups. After a 15 month stint in the hospital with tuberculosis, he taught middle school science and math for seven years before finally pursuing his doctor dream after he and his wife had eight children! After finishing medical school, he became a small town Family Physician in Hillsdale, Michigan for the next 24 years, delivering over 2000 babies in a town of 8000.
He and his wife, Gloria, ended up with twelve children and 43 grandchildren and are co-authors of a book, "Love, Laughter and Dreams", the sometimes frolicking story of raising twelve children and pursuing their dreams. His wife of 68 years passed away in 2019.
Bud has produced two other books. "Ask Grandpa" is a compilation of his reflections on life and "Vear Clan Tales" is a collection of stories from 53 different authors – all members of the Vear family. Bud, 94 years young, still lives in Hillsdale, Michigan.
