Obituary of John Scott Busbee

Scott was born May 5,1964 in Sacramento, California. His name at that time was James Voll. Shortly after his birth he moved to the Fort Worth area.  In 1968 he was adopted by Buddy and Peggy Busbee and his name was changed to John Scott Busbee. He attended Bedford, Watauga, and Pipeline Rd Church of Christ.

He met Lavonda at Watauga Church of Christ when he was 5 and she was 4. They were part of a very tight youth group, that is still together and made lots of great memories from that time. They attended there until Scott was 16, and they moved to the Pipeline Rd congregation.   At that time he lost track of Lavonda. Scott was a gifted singer and musician. He loved to sing and led songs and gave devotionals in church from the time he was an early teenager. He also loved playing the guitar and built over 20 guitars. Scott attended L. D. Bell High School where he excelled in drama (theater) and choir. He was in many musical stage productions including South Pacific. Scott graduated in 1982. He married Joyce and had April in 1986 followed by Robert in 1994. Scott’s love for his family was only second to his love for God.

He worked at DFW Airport with Allied Aviation first fueling  jets and then in facility maintenance as a mechanic, for 20 years. During that  time Scott made many friends and used that opportunity to spread God’s word to all who were interested in hearing it. His longtime friends and brothers, Cecil Hibbons and Loyd “Luke”  Lucas, who said that “his calibration of humanity was tongue twisted and that he respected everyone, and everyone respected him because of the way he treated them. He never spoke badly about anyone and was an example to everyone around him. He had an infectious silly laugh that would make you smile, even on a bad day. He was a good teacher, and they were proud of him when he decided to go to preaching school, because he was intelligent and could talk to anyone.” He was the head union steward and rep for several years. During that time he was able to save many peoples jobs as well as get them the best contract possible.  After that Scott moved to Nacogdoches Texas and went to work in facility maintenance for NIBCO for the next 12 years. After that Scott called Lavonda while he was up in Ft Worth and asked if she wanted to come talk. They hadn’t seen each other in 40 years. She went and they talked for over 3 hours. He said he knew then they would get married. He also knew she wasn’t ready, as she had lost her husband just 6 months before that. Scott would make the 4-hour drive to see her frequently, telling her he was in town on business. She just didn’t realize she was the business. After that, things moved quickly, and they married shortly thereafter. Scott loved her children as his own and she loved his the same way. They were blessed to have the perfect blended family, everyone accepted each other. Scott’s family said he was happier than he had ever been in the last 6 years, after he reunited with Lavonda. She was over the moon in love with him as well. After Scott moved back to the Ft Worth area, he went to school to get his CDL and went to work for JB Hunt driving locally. This allowed him to be home every night, and to attend church. Scott enjoyed this but injured his neck and didn’t feel safe driving trucks any longer. It was during this time that David Williams, an elder at his home congregation of Northwest Church of Christ, suggested Scott go to preaching school. He had heard Scott preach and knew his and Lavonda’s love for God.   He loved working with the youth there, preparing for L2L and just being around them. He also enjoyed the young adults, teaching their classes and just spending time with them. Everywhere Scott went, he gained more kids and grandkids. Northwest was more than a church; it was family, and Scott was a big part of all that went on. He loved his family there and was available anytime he was asked to help or serve. Scott applied to the school at Brown Trail Church of Christ, just a couple of miles from where he grew up,  He was immediately accepted. While working the Lads 2 Leaders conference in Ft Worth, Scott found out he was the only one accepted, and they couldn’t have a class for one. That’s when he and Lavonda decided Colorado was the answer. Not only was there a great school there, that his uncle Emmett Roberts had been an instructor at, but there was lots of family in the area including his Aunt Sue that he loved dearly. Scott grew up coming to Colorado and loved it almost as much as he loved Texas. So, Scott and Lavonda made the move to Colorado. Scott loved the school and the students there. They quickly became their kids and grandkids, a role Scott took to heart and thoroughly enjoyed. Scott was always very charming and persuasive, he easily made friends and could always make people laugh. He told his sister not long after he and Lavonda married, that his main goal every day was to make her snort. Even during the last 2 weeks, after his heart attack, he was able to do that. He had a natural ability to fix anything, from cars to around the house. He even built an addition to the house he had in Nacogdoches by himself, and completely wired electricity, into a barn for a friend. He had a love for cars, especially old mustangs and vw bugs. He loved to travel with Lavonda and loved all types of food, especially Mexican food. They enjoyed trying new things, both in food and life. Scott had a love for amusement parks and roller coasters. He was a BIG KID at heart. He and Lavonda said that’s why kids gravitated to them, because they were overgrown kids that would never grow up. Scott was loved by many and made a big impression on people everywhere he went. He will be missed by all who knew him.

Preceded in death by his father Norman Ray (Buddy) Busbee, mother Peggy Sue Busbee, and wife Joyce Busbee.

Scott was survived by his wife Lavonda Busbee, as well as his children from his marriage to Joyce, daughter April Brandon, son Robert Busbee, along with his Bonus Daughter Melinda (Mindy) Penn and her husband Matthew Penn, Ashley (Nicki) Cox, and his grandchildren Kailee Brandon, Charlie Brandon, Emma Scott, Shianne Cox, and Clifton Cox. He is also survived by his sisters Susan Romero and her husband Keith, Lisa Morris and her husband Bryan, Liz Lane and her husband Joe, Dawn Catania, Tracy Tattersall and her husband Steve, numerous nieces and nephews, and friends.

When my Daddy was sick and on hospice, he sat me down and let me know that it was ok for mom to move on. He wanted her to be happy and wanted her to love someone again. He also let me know that it was ok for me to accept whoever she brought into her life, that they wouldn’t replace him. In fact that would just be a bonus to my life and that it was ok to have more people in my life that loved me. No one could replace the bond I had with my Daddy. He knew how special he was to me, but he also knew how emotional I was and how hard it was for me to let others in, especially someone that might take on the role of a father figure. When Scott came into my mother’s life, I knew exactly what my Daddy meant. I knew from the moment that I met him that he was different. I never worried about him caring for or loving my mom, you could tell there was a special bond between them. You could tell that he was going to love my mom and allow her to do things her way and on her own time. He never tried to rush her into things, which meant the world to me. Seeing him give her time showed me one of the most important things that mattered to me, that he respected my Daddy and the relationship they had. I didn’t have to ever worry about him trying to “replace” my Daddy because he left room in my mom’s heart and my heart for both of them. From the very beginning knowing that, knowing how he cared not only for my mom but myself as well, we clicked, and I knew that he was going to change our lives for the better in so many different ways. What my mother doesn’t know is that thanks to my Daddy, Scott gained his nickname, Bonus Daddy. To me that instantly bonded two of the most important men in my life. He instantly became a Bonus Daddy to me, a father figure and friend to my husband, Matt,  Grandpa to our rugrat Emma, and another important role that was previously held by someone I thought no one could ever even come close to, “GrandPAW” to our furbabies. He treated the furbabies just like the grandkids loving on them and taking care of them too. Bonus Daddy, I almost instantly gave him that name a title he was EXTREMELY proud to hold. For the first Father’s Day they were married, a sacred holiday to me, I bought him a coffee mug that said Bonus Dad with #BonusDad. Let me tell you, he treasured it so much that he used it every day. It sits proudly on his desk where he did his most important work. Scott truly was one of a kind and someone that made a difference in the lives of everyone he touched. He was always up for doing crazy and fun things helping make memories to last a lifetime. When I called to tell him and mom what I wanted to do for Emma’s birthday, a full-on game of paintball fighting with paintballs you throw and water guns with paint, he didn’t hesitate for a second. He said to just let them know when and where they would be there. Whenever I needed anything him and mom were quick to show up. He was always there beside here even though he didn’t have to be, he wanted to be. One of the scariest moments of my life was when I was diagnosed with cancer a second time, my hair started to fall out and all these memories of me being bullied as a child came rushing back. I had panic attacks and didn’t want to go through it. The day came when we had to shave my head and guess what, not only were mom and Scott right there with front row seats, but they also BOTH showed up with their heads shaved in solidarity to help make me laugh and ease me through it. Scott had a special way of making you feel like any problem you faced no matter how small or big, that it was just a blip and something to get through with laughter and as a family. He always used laughter to help in every situation. He made going through my cancer with the chemo, radiation, and all these painful moments of a terrifying situation so much better and easier. I knew that no matter what I needed Scott and mom were always right there for me at any hour. That was Scott, willing to do whatever he could to make anyone’s minute, hour, day, and lifetime better. He gave so much to everyone and asked for nothing in return. I’m incredibly thankful that I was able to be by his side in his last moments. I was able to see him, tell him how much he meant to me, tell him that I loved him, and even most importantly, at the end I even dropped the Bonus from Bonus Daddy so he knew just how much me meant to me. That was Scott, my Bonus Daddy turned Daddy, that made such an impact on me, my family, and the world around him. I’m thankful that he opened his eyes on last time before taking his final breath as if he was saying I see you, I love you, and I know you love me. As we remember him, I ask one thing, in his memory that you please take a moment every single day to make someone, anyone laugh and when you do look up and say “This is for you Scott.”