Deidre Busk

Alice Myra Deidre Dugan, daughter of William and Roberta (née Maurel) Dugan, was born in Globe, AZ on June 21, 1948. She passed away on June 22, 2021 in Huntsville, AL. She was preceded by both parents and an older brother, Michael. She is survived by two older siblings, Dennis and Sheila.

Dede graduated from Kearney High School where she was an honor student, highly competitive athlete and member of the marching band. She then attended the University of Arizona where she met and married Arlan Busk, a union that lasted for over 52 years.

They have two daughters, Dianna and Ingrid, each with three children. Dianna’s are Ian, Brodie and Fletcher. Ingrid’s are Isa, Arlan James (AJ) and Katherine Deidre (Kat).

After college, Dede embarked on a 26-year stint as an Army Wife, moving the family 19 times. There were three assignments in Germany for a total of nine years, plus assignments at posts, camps and stations all across the United States, including Fort Bliss, TX, Fort Leavenworth, KS, Fort Lee, VA, the Washington, DC area, Detroit, MI and Huntsville, AL. Dede worked in administration for virtually the entire 26 years, finding a job at each new location. Because she had not graduated from the University of Arizona (was busy starting the family) she took college courses wherever she was until she had enough credit hours to transfer them all to the University of New York and get her bachelor’s degree. Attaining that was especially important to her, and she was so proud when she could say she was a graduate.

Always outgoing, she made – and kept – friends from around the world. One reassignment occurred just prior to the Christmas holidays. There was no way to send out Christmas cards, so she decided to do a Groundhog Day letter instead. It was hugely popular, and she has maintained it for decades.

Extended family has always been so important to Dede. When anyone came to our neck of the woods, be it for their job (touring w/a show, book tour) or vacation, she always made time for, and plans with them, as well as welcomed all to our home, wherever it was. 

With the final assignment at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Dede became involved in several civic organizations and clubs, volunteering her time to help improve the community. For her efforts, she was named the Redstone Arsenal Volunteer of the Year in 2001 and again in 2004! She has also maintained a close-knit circle of friends through BUNKO and the Gourmet Club. All agree she is a gracious hostess and amazing cook!

After Arlan’s retirement from the Army, but while still working for Defense Contractors, they began doing more of the travelling that they loved. They took multiple Caribbean cruises and one to Alaska. When Arlan finally retired, they celebrated with a cruise from Bayonne, NJ to Shanghai, China – a total of 54 days. They then flew to Hawaii and brought kids and grandkids to Hawaii for a week in a resort on the beach. When they flew home, they had been around the world! There was also a European river cruise and one throughout the Baltic that included all the Scandinavian countries, northern Europe and Russia.

VORACIOUS reader. Always excited to read to grandkids and singlehandedly overfilled their bookcases and audio book libraries to encourage even more reading! 

A Biology Major in college, she was a lover of biology, bugs, books and dogs. She had an extremely smart blonde golden retriever, Gracie, who died young from cancer. Dede mourned for her for years.

There will be a Memorial Service for Dede at the Legacy Chapel Funeral Home in Madison on Saturday, July 24, at 2 PM.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Dede’s favorite charity, the Greater Huntsville Humane Society (https://ghhs.org/).