Fitzhugh G. Bush

Lt. Col. Fitzhugh Gordon Bush, Jr., 75, of St. Charles, Missouri, died July 17, 2008 of respiratory failure. Fitzhugh was born in Meridian, Mississippi on July 24, 1932 at the height of the Great Depression. After a few years, his family permanently settled in Auburn, Alabama. He graduated from Auburn High School and after receiving a BS degree from Auburn University, married his high school sweetheart, Frances Haines, and joined the Air Force. His career as a navigator took Fitzhugh and his family all over the United States and the world. The Air Force awarded him numerous medals including one for bravery after flying dangerous missions in the Eniwetok atomic testing program. He navigated rescue seaplanes in the South Pacific, reconnaissance planes over Southeast Asia, and transport planes all over the world. During the Cold War he was a launch officer in the Minuteman missile program and in the long hours of duty isolated underground, earned a Masters Degree in Business Administration. Fitzhugh retired after 20 years of service and flying well over a million miles. In civilian life Fitzhugh had a 17-year second career as Program Director for the Mental Health Department in San Bernardino, California. He was an active member of the American Legion in Highland, California. He loved the game of golf as a player and a fan and in retirement, marshaled many PGA tournaments. His beloved wife, Frances, passed away after 42 years of marriage. In 1998 Fitzhugh married Mari Dannegger and moved to St. Charles, Missouri where he lived the rest of his life. He is survived by his wife, Mari; his sister Fay and her husband Paul Schillings; seven children, Fitzhugh and his wife Charlene, Paul and his wife Carol, David and his wife Lisa, John, Mike and his wife Anna, Daniel and his wife Penny, and Laurie and her husband Jeffrey Martin; three stepchildren, Tiffany her husband Steve Bowling, Tara and her husband Randy Buescher, and Patrick Dannegger, and 20 grandchildren. He was known for his gentle and generous nature and will be deeply missed. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the charity of choice.