Wilma S. Busch

Wilma S. Busch, 80, of Oro Valley, AZ, formerly of Elizabeth, WV, died peacefully surrounded by her family Sunday, December 8, 2019 at Casa de la Luz Hospice, Tucson, AZ, following a brief battle with cancer of the kidney. She was born Monday, November 6, 1939 in Parkersburg, WV the seventh and last child of the late Roy Harvey and Esther Leah (Wolverton) Richard.She grew up on a small family farm in rural Munday, WV, attended the Bell Elementary School, and was a 1957 graduate of Wirt County High School where she was a homecoming princess and known for her friendly, cheerful personality, infectious smile, and her ability to roller skate backward. She frequently reminisced over her high school years and would say, for her, high school was just a big social event filled with fun and shenanigans but later in life, although a good student, regretted that she had not taken her studies more seriously. That revised attitude carried over toward the importance of education for her children and grandchildren and as a young mother was a leader of the Child Guidance Circle in Parkersburg that advocated for improving childhood education and mandatory kindergarten for all children. After graduation, she married the late Donald M. Busch from Grantsville, WV, together they bore two sons, but their marriage ended in divorce in 1977 and she remained unmarried the rest of her life. Though she held several jobs through the years, she always believed her most important job was raising, loving, and supporting her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. To say she was proud of them would be a tremendous understatement whether it was the career accomplishments of her sons; becoming a licensed funeral director of her granddaughter, Michaelyn; the tenured professorship of her grandson, Nicholas; the graduate degree of her granddaughter, Emily Grace; the standout golf athleticism of her grandson, Mace; or the computer coding skills of her great grandchildren, Max and Harper, she was proud of them all always. She enjoyed the time spent with family and followed their every move by attending school functions and other events where she always thought they were the best at doing whatever was happening and, in her spare time, lurked on them on Facebook.She loved decorating and entertaining and was renowned for her Appalachian homestyle cooking.She was belovedly known to many in the family and community as simply “Nan Nan.” For nearly 20 years, she was an integral member of the family service team at Busch Funeral Home, Elizabeth, WV and remained deeply committed to the business of funeral service for the rest of her life.She was an accomplished floral designer and was manager of the Elizabeth Floral Company and a designer at Petals and Buds in Parkersburg.She enjoyed working with people and the time she served as clerk for Billy Dotson at Dotson’s Exxon, manager of the Dairy Barn Restaurant in Elizabeth, and Clerk at the Wirt County Health Department and in the Office of the Wirt County Medical Examiner. She was a member of the Memorial Church of the Good Shepherd (Episcopal), Parkersburg, and attended Grace Episcopal Church, Mansfield, OH and St. Philip’s in the Hills Episcopal Church, Tucson, AZ.For several years, she was a resident of Parkland Place Apartments, Parkersburg, where she served as president of the Resident Association. She was a past matron of Clara Edna Chapter #140, Order of the Eastern Star and a former member of the Elizabeth Women’s Club.She was a former affiliate member of the West Virginia Funeral Directors Association, a general election candidate for Wirt County Magistrate, an avid major league baseball fan, and enjoyed travelling, cooking, cleaning, and gift giving. The last decade of her life she followed her son, Dr. Gregg Busch, as his career led him around the country and finally landed in Tucson, AZ where she declared to be one of her favorite places.She loved the warm southwestern weather, the Sonoran Desert, the cactuses and the ability to sunbathe and swim year round, which she did very often, and, though West Virginia was home, Tucson became a very special place for her and enabled her to enjoy shopping and eating, two of her favorite activities, and to receive extraordinary medical care as her health began to slowly decline. She will be deeply missed by her sons and their wives, Dr. Gregory T. and Prof. Mary Beth (Stanley) Busch of Oro Valley, AZ, with whom she made her home,and Shawn and Tara (Mace) Busch of Parkersburg, two grandsons, Prof. Nicholas Busch of Oro Valley, AZ and Mace Busch, a junior at Parkersburg (WV)South High School, two granddaughters, Michaelyn Busch, BMS, of Parkersburg, and Emily Grace Busch, MPA and her husband Alex Faulkner, BA, of Tucson, AZ, two great grandchildren, whom she adored, Gregory (Max) and Harper Busch both of Oro Valley, AZ,a sister, Glenna Floyd of Belpre, OH, two sisters-in-law, Patty (Ruppert) Richard of Parkersburg, and Marilyn (Kinney-Maze) Richard of Lenoir, NC, a special “sister”, June (Chaddock) Smith of Parkersburg, and special friends, Harold and Sharon Villers of Elizabeth and a host of nieces, nephews, and friends. She was preceded in death by three brothers, Kenneth (Paul) Richard, Raymond L. Richard, and James A. Richard, two sisters, Kathleen Gibson and Evelyn Newbrough, and a great grandchild. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 10:00am Saturday, December 21, 2019, at the Memorial Church of the Good Shepherd (Episcopal), 903 Charles Street, Parkersburg, with The Reverend Marjorie Bevans as celebrant and her son, Dr. Gregory T. Busch as eulogist.Special music will be provided by organist Sean Parsons, professional harpist Prof. James Predovich, and singers Eydie McVey, Teresa Murray, and Janet Prislac.Burial will follow in the Wolverton Cemetery, Munday, WV, with the assistance of Mace Busch, Prof. Nicholas Busch, Alex Faulkner, Billy Dotson, John Villers, and Raymond Morgan as casket bearers and her nephews, friend Harold Villers, former brother-in-law Glenn Busch (posthumously) and the former staff of Busch Funeral Home, Cain Snider, Charles Murray, Bob Sims, and Eugene Conger (posthumously) serving as honorary casket bearers. Friends may call at the Vaughan Funeral Home, Parkersburg, WV from 6-8pm Friday, December 20, 2019, and at the church one hour prior to the services. With her father, siblings, and son victims of Parkinson’s Disease, she has requested that donations be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research or the PWR! (Parkinsons Wellness and Recovery) Gym or the Kreinik Family Foundation for the Prevention of Suicide and Addiction. Donations may be sent to the Vaughan Funeral Home, 1010 Murdoch Ave, Parkersburg, WV 26101 for distribution to the proper organization. Services are entrusted and coordinated by the Vaughan Funeral Home, Parkersburg, Miller Funeral Homes, St. Marys, OH, and Adair Funeral Homes, Tucson, AZ. The family wishes to extend special notes of appreciation to Casa de la Luz Hospice, the nurses, staff, Drs. Carmichael, McDonald, and Powell for providing comfort and pain free solutions along with extraordinary care and compassion shown during Wilma’s battle of the last week, Kimberly Lybarger for the post visitation celebration of life, and the women of the Elizabeth United Methodist Church for the meal following the services.