Dennis Busse

Dennis W. Busse was born at a time when thousands of young servicemen had returned home from World War II to pick up their lives and start afresh. With an energy never before experienced, U.S. industry expanded to meet peacetime needs. Americans began buying goods not available during the war, which created corporate expansion and jobs. Growth was everywhere and the baby boom was underway. It was a time of optimism in which families desired the best for their children, including Howard and Violet (Goebbert) Busse of Papineau, Illinois. They welcomed their son Dennis into their lives on March 23, 1951.

The Busse family lived on a farm in the Chicago area, and Dennis grew up with the amenities of small town, rural America. He and his siblings and their cousins were always together, because their families farmed together. His identical twin cousins were only 12 days older than Dennis, and along with his brother Glenn, they had the best of times playing sports and modifying the rules to accommodate four players. Quite naturally, they set up friendly competitions to see who was the best at whatever activity they tried. Coasting down the barn ramp with bikes to see who could go the furthest, swinging on ropes in the hay mow to see who could jump the farthest, and doing various stunts with their bikes were only a few of the many made-up games they performed.

Because both sides of the Busse family were large, gatherings of relatives made for fun and frequent “family reunions.” In fact, most of their social activities centered around family. With many uncles, aunts and cousins also going to the same church, they were always around each other and became a very close-knit family.

Dennis and his brother especially enjoyed sports and regularly watched them on television. When they were older, they went to the ballpark to cheer on their favorite Chicago baseball teams. Again, the friendly childhood rivalry continued into adulthood, because Glenn was a Cub’s fan and Dennis routed for the White Sox.

Well into his adult years, Dennis enjoyed tractor pulls, car and truck shows, sports and racing. Fittingly, he was truck driver for Hoffman Transportation where the road was his home for several years before retiring in 2009.

Dennis W. Busse, age 60 of Papineau IL, passed away Thursday, September 15, 2011 in the town of his birth. He is survived by his son Dallas and Crystal Busse of St. Anne, IL, one brother Glenn and Sue Busse of Galesburg IL, one sister Joyce Busse of Shellbyville IN, and several nieces and nephews. A gathering time for family and friends will be Wednesday, September 21, 2011 from 3-8 p.m. at the Kankakee Chapel of the Schreffler Life Story Funeral Homes. There will also be gathering time from 10-11 a.m. Thursday September 22, 2011 at the Kankakee Chapel of the Schreffler Life Story Funeral Homes with a celebration of his life funeral service at 11 a.m. Burial, following the service, at Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Aroma Township.

Memorials may be made to the family wishes.