The life of John H. Busser. Sr. ended peacefully on Saturday, January 24th, in a nursing home facility in Tampa, FL. He had been slowed down for the past two years by poor health, but for 84 years, he was a world traveler. After his early years in Wales, he moved with his parents to Leipzig, Germany. He was sent to private school in Oundle, England from ages 11 through 16. He graduated from University of Pennsylvania and joined the army. He married Barbara Buckley (Pfizenmaier) in June of 1944. In 1955 the family moved to Jenkintown, PA . In addition to finding time to build two sailboats, John had a major role in some of the annual PTA plays the town put on.
Their five children are John (married to Sherri, living in Blaine, Minnesota), Dianne (married to Bruce, living in Valrico, Florida), Mandy (married to Charlie, living in Attleboro, Massachusetts), Gay (married to George living in Scituate, Massachusetts) and Janet (married to Frank, living in New York City). He leaves behind six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He is fondly remembered by two sisters-in-law as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews.
His professional life included patents on inventions, many scholarly papers (which you can read if you google "John H. Busser") and directing medical equipment operations at a hospital in Doha, Qatar. He retired to Spain, where he enjoyed many happy years in an ex-pat neighborhood. He returned to the US in 1999, settling in Florida. At age 80 he traded his traveling on boats for land travel. This link - http://www.sptimes.com/2002/03/24/Columns/Lifelong_traveler_tak.shtml - takes you to an interview for a newspaper about his then up-coming RV trip around the country. John and his two cats stopped to visit family and friends all along the route, spending the winter months near Dianne and her family in California.
John's ingenuity and interests provided him with experiences of travel and living arrangements many people wouldn't imagine. He lived on a 65 foot yacht for many years, as well as the RV that he made into a permanent residence for a few years. John viewed the world through the eyes of an inquiring scientist, and his wish was fulfilled to donate his physical body to medical research purposes upon his death, to further his contribution to knowledge.
The "tributes" section of this site offers the opportunity for you to leave your thoughts, comments, remembrances, etc. on the life of John H. Busser, Sr. His children and grandchildren hope to learn more about him.
