Frederick Busch

Frederick James Busch was born in Mission, Texas to Francis and Jewell Busch on October 30, 1940. Fred and his younger sister, Pat, were blessed with a father who was a faithful and hardworking provider, and a mother who was a capable and loving housewife. Fred lived in Mission with his family until he completed 7th grade.
In 1952, when Fred's father started farming, the family moved to a house in the country about 9 miles south of Pharr, Texas. After 2 ½ years, they moved into the city of Pharr where Fred attended school. Fred played the trombone from 7th to 12th grade, also participating in the marching band, the concert band, and the dance band. His favorite subjects in school included math and science, with history and literature being his least favorite. In 1958, he graduated from Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High School.
Fred then attended Pan American College in Edinburg, Texas for 3 semesters. At that time, he decided not only that he did not like college, but that he did not need it. He quit school and went to work for a fertilizer and insecticide company. Not long after beginning this job, however, Fred began to recognize that the career options available to him based on his level of education were very limited, and he decided that he should go back to school.
This time, Fred chose DeVry Tech, an electronic tech school in Chicago. Fred and his father set out for Chicago in 1959, and Fred, who had always been a country boy, learned not only how to drive in the big city, but also how to drive in the snow, which he had never before seen. His father stayed with him for a few days, helping him to find a place to live. He then left the country boy whom he loved so much in the big city, with a Chicago winter just around the corner. Fred survived two years in Chicago without a wreck!
After graduating from DeVry, Fred went to work for Collins Radio in Richardson, Texas, where he was employed for 8 ½ years. One of the major programs he worked on while there was the Apollo Space Program.
Early on during his time at Collins, Fred met his lovely wife Patricia on a blind date arranged by friends. After a brief courtship of 6 months, Fred and Pat were married on October 3rd, 1964.
Fred left Collins Radio in 1970 and spent several years self-employed in a variety of roles, including owner of both an Exxon station and Texaco station, part owner of Garland Wrecker Service, a Dallas Morning News Distributor, and a Servicemaster franchise owner.
In 1980, a man he had worked with at Collins Radio offered Fred a job in the satellite and missile tracking industry. Fred worked first at Electrospace Systems, and then at General Dynamics VertexRSI until July of 2005, when he retired on disability due to Parkinson's disease.
During the course of his career in the defense industry, Fred enjoyed a great deal of travel. He made numerous trips to customer facilities in the U.S where he attended design reviews, made presentations, and installed tracking system equipment. He also traveled four times to Australia and three times to Japan, each trip lasting approximately a month.
In his earlier years, Fred enjoyed camping, yard work, financial planning, tinkering with cars and computers, game nights with friends, and attending his children's sporting events and recitals. Always ready for a good theological discussion, Fred's active involvement in his local church families over many years included roles such as elder, deacon, teacher, and Awana leader. In more recent years, Fred enjoyed traveling with family, Friday night movie and dinner dates with friends, exploring the ever new and changing world of i-Things, and keeping current on political and world events. Fred also truly savored the simple pleasure of good food, whether one of Pat's delicious and creative home cooked meals or a dinner out at a good restaurant.
In Fred's own words, written in January of 2006, "I accepted Jesus as my Savior in 1963 at the age of 23. God, Jesus, and the church have played a major part in my life since then. God gave me a wonderful wife and 2 wonderful children. Pat and I recently celebrated our 41st wedding anniversary. I love her very much. Our 2 children, Mike and Lisa, continue to be a real joy for us. I love them very much as I do their spouses and children. I am so thankful that God gave both of them godly spousesWe love getting together with both of our children and their families. In summary, God has blessed me beyond measure. He has given me the gift of His son Jesus as my Savior. He also gave me a wonderful family. I want to give Him the glory, honor, and praise. He is a good God!"
Indeed, He is a good God, to have given us such a loving husband, father, and grandfather. Wise, faithful, godly, gentle, kind, steady, consistent, and hardworking are just a few of the adjectives used by his family and friends to describe him.
Fred's battle with both Parkinson's disease and Dystonia was long. Trusting in the Lord for an eternal body that would never die and looking forward to seeing his Savior Jesus Christ, Fred suffered well, gaining immeasurable strength from his personal relationship with the Lord. To all who knew him, he was a testimony of godly courage, longsuffering, and hope in the face of much difficulty. We are overjoyed that he now rests in the presence of Jesus, the Lover of his soul.
Fred leaves behind to treasure his memory his wife of 49 years, Patricia Ann Busch; son and daughter-in-law Mike and Mary Busch, daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Matt Darwin; grandchildren Aaron and Lauren Busch, Matthew, Micah, John, Stephen, and Josiah Darwin; and sister and brother-in-law Patricia and Clinton Britt.
The family will receive friends for visitation at Allen Family Funeral Options from 6:30-8:30 PM on Tuesday, June 3, 2014. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, June 4, 2014 at 2:00 PM at Plano Bible Chapel, 1900 Shiloh Road, Plano, Texas 75074 with Pastor Eric Hartman officiating. Fred will be laid to rest at Wilson's Chapel Cemetery, Lowry Crossing. If desired, memorials may be made in Fred's name to Dallas Area Parkinson Society, American Heart Association, or Cervical Dystonia Society.