David Busch

Towner

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of David Eugene Andrew Busch on January 29, 2025. He was 52. He leaves an indelible mark on the hearts of all who were fortunate enough to know him. David was a beacon of unwavering friendship and kindness and he lived his life with tremendous passion and service toward others.

David was born May 30, 1972 in Ft. Ord, California to David and Barbara Busch. The family moved to Towner, North Dakota where they stayed for many years. After the passing of their brother Tony and the birth of the youngest sibling, Charles, they moved to Florida.

Tammy, the eldest sibling, was so close in age to David that they were sometimes referred to as twins. Inseparable and side by side, they navigated their new world in Florida together, spending most of their adolescence swimming like fish.

The family moved again, this time to Atlanta, Georgia. David graduated Lassiter High School in 1990 and continued his education at Kennesaw State University.

David joined the United States Army in 1993 where he served honorably. He was medically discharged after sustaining an injury while dutifully serving his country.

Early in his adult life, David fell in love and started a family. His beautiful and talented daughter, Ashley, was born. No one denies that David was a compassionate and selfless dreamer who loved his daughter, family, friends, music, movies, sports, trivia, his dogs, and carpentry. While the order in which he loved these things might be up for debate, one thing is for sure, his daughter was always first on that list. She stole his heart and took over his world from the moment she was born. He was the ultimate ‘girl-dad’. When he was with Ashley, he was not afraid to wear anything pink, not even in public. David also got to see his sister’s children grow which brought him joy and happiness. He loved spoiling them and treating them like his own. He would often joke that the angels mixed up their first-born children because their mannerisms and temperaments reflected the other parent rather than their own.

An amateur comedian, David always had a joke to cheer you up. He was born with the gift of gab and inevitably had a quick comeback or humorous spin to throw into the mix. David’s love and talent for building things was undeniable even at an early age and he spent his life mastering his craft of carpentry. He could build anything – buildings, cars, gadgets, or imaginary flights of fancy from just a photo – no cheat sheets! He once built the Star Wars Millennium Falcon just by looking at a photo. This passion and skill translated into his adult life where he continued to build anything from a photo, a drawing, or a concept – new rooms, basements, even entire estate renovations. He saw 2-D pictures like a puzzle and then put them together in 3-D for all to admire and enjoy.

David’s insatiable curiosity required him to understand the intricacies of how things were engineered. He studied each part, each movement, he strived to master the requisite tool for each task, and he shared this passion by teaching others, including his nephew Tony, the beauty of making things for people to use and enjoy.

Funny, talented, devoted, and infinitely curious about all things this world had to offer, David never wavered in his caring and the well-being of all who entered his life. He is survived by his daughter Ashley Busch, his father and mother David and Barbara Busch, his sister and brother-in-law Tammy Busch-Ballou and Greg Ballou, his brother and sister-in-law Charles and Kathryn Busch, his nieces and nephew Isabella Busch-Ballou, Anthony Busch-Ballou, Jordan Fernandez, and his canine companion Kai all whose lives were enriched by his presence.

His departure leaves an unfillable void, yet they will find comfort in the memories and everlasting love they shared. Tony, David’s brother who preceded him to heaven, will greet him with open arms at the gates where together they will take long walks with Shylock, Porter, Abbey, Jack, Tinker Bell, Oliver, Zack, and Zoey.

Published by The Minot Daily News, February 6, 2025.