Bernice Busken

Bernice Dowd Busken passed away on June 24, 2010 at Bethany Village in Dayton, Ohio. She was preceded in death by her mother Cecil Earls, father Fred Dowd, son Steven Dowd Busken and daughter Martha Samford Busken. Surviving are her sister Kathy (Bill) Bauman of Cincinnati, Ohio; daughters Susan (Chip) Hunter of Cincinnati, Ohio, Sally (Jim) Dyer of Dayton, Ohio, Mary (Bob) Via of Greensboro, NC, son David (Marta) Busken of Varna, Illinois, 11 grandchildren and former husband, Joseph Busken, Jr. of Cincinnati, Ohio. She was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, Dayton, Ohio. Bernice was born in New Liberty, Kentucky, August 23, 1930. During her marriage, Bernice and Joseph resided in Camden, South Carolina and later in Cincinnati, Ohio. Bernice was an active volunteer with the Terrace Park and Indian Hill fire departments, as well as the Indian Hill Rangers. Bernice was the first woman to serve on a volunteer life squad in Hamilton County, Ohio. She taught many Red Cross first aid and CPR classes to a wide variety of groups of both children and adults. During her volunteer career she became a certified Emergency Medical Technician. Bernice moved to the Hendersonville, North Carolina area in 1993. She continued to serve her community there by serving as a volunteer with the Hendersonville Police Department, and did the same after moving to Centerville, Ohio, volunteering with that police department as well. She also volunteered for many years at Erma's house, a family visitation house in Dayton, Ohio. As a result of her work there, she was the recipient of the Dayton Catholic Social Services Volunteer of the Year Award in 2006. Bernice enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren. Her favorite hobbies included knitting, playing her piano, reading and gardening. She also enjoyed playing golf with the women's league at NCR Country Club. Bernice was an avid sports fan- especially of the Cincinnati Reds and Bengals. A memorial service will be held for Bernice on Wednesday, June 30th at 1PM at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 125 N. Wilkinson St. Dayton, OH with the Rev. Kay Davis-Dudding, officiating. A visitation will follow at Thomas-Justin Memorial, 7500 Montgomery Rd., Cincinnati, OH(45236) from 5-7PM. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hospice of Dayton, 324 Wilmington Ave., Dayton, OH (45420) or the Salvation Army in your community.