Hugo Busa

Hugo Busa of Hamilton went to be with his Lord on November 27th, 2013 at the age of 90.
Hugo was born in San Francisco, California, September 28, 1923 to Guy and Santa Busa. Hugo was a first generation American of Sicilian ancestry. Guy and Santa each were from small towns near Messina.
Hugo was the fifth of six children. His father was a gardener who worked for wealthy people in San Francisco before and during the depression. In 1930 the family moved to Menlo Park in the Bay Area. During the depression years the family maintained their simple lifestyle as Guy continued to expand his business in the area.
In May of 1941, Hugo met Marie McClellan through a friend. For Hugo it was love at first sight. He immediately made up his mind that he would marry Marie. It didn't take Marie long to realize that she was in love with him as well. They eloped to Reno, Nevada, to marry on December 14, 1941, seven days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was 18, she was 15.
In the fall of 1942 Hugo enlisted in the Navy. In January 1943 he went aboard his first and only ship, the light cruiser U.S.S. Birmingham. This ship would be his home for nearly three years. Birmingham operated in many of the WW II Pacific campaigns. Hugo received the Purple Heart medal for wounds received as a result of enemy action.
After the war Hugo returned home to the Menlo Park / Palo Alto area. The following year their first son, Francis, was born. Soon after, Hugo began a 32-year career with Pacific Telephone, starting in construction, and soon after went into installation and repair.
Hugo enjoyed his job and took pride in the quality of work he did, describing himself as a "craftsman". He resented being hurried or pushed if it resulted in doing a sloppy job. Hugo liked being a conscientious hands-on technician, and often turned down opportunities for supervision. He always liked being just one of the guys.
Hugo always had a sense of humor, and would often give nicknames to bosses or other employees who exhibited certain characteristics. In fact he particularly enjoyed giving nicknames to family members and even pets. As a kid he sometimes cared for injured animals. His brother, Hank, nicknamed him "Sawbones".
He loved hunting as a boy. He collected enough coke bottles when he was twelve to buy his first .22 cal. rifle. He would often bring home pigeons, rabbits or squirrels for his mom to cook for the family.
Hugo quit school in the ninth grade. His father didn't approve of further education, so Hugo and his brothers worked for their father instead of finishing school. But that didn't keep Hugo from teaching himself a lot about things he was interested in.
As an adult he studied things he wanted to learn. He taught himself how to hand load his own ammunition. He loved the shooting sports, and acquired a decent gun collection over the years. He taught his boys how to hunt and hand load as well.
Hugo always enjoyed teasing those he liked. Although he sometimes could be critical, outspoken or even judgmental, he also had a tender side when the Holy Spirit would speak to him. Because of a genuine reverence for God, he would then be quick to turn.
Marie accepted Christ in 1951. Hugo followed about six months later. Shortly afterward, and with much prayer, Hugo had quit his addiction to alcohol and tobacco. This was a real miracle, as he could never have done it without God's help. Even the desire for those things simply left him forever.
In October 1950 Hugo and Marie's second son, Richard, was born. The family would remain at four. In 1957 Hugo, Marie and the boys moved to Felton, California. Hugo transferred to the PT& T office in Santa Cruz.
The family would stay in this area until the boys left to join the navy, following in their dad's footsteps 21 years later. The Vietnam War was on then.
At the end of 1977, Hugo was finally able to retire, and, wasting no time, they moved to Hamilton, Montana the following day. This move would be the beginning of a dream-comeA