HOT PURSUIT

Over the years I have shared some great memories of my father, Clifford Bussler, in this column. It’s with extreme sorrow and sadness that I now write about his recent death. My dad died Oct. 21 at the age of 89 with the hospice nurse, my mom, my oldest daughter and myself at his side.

For me, the past month had been an emotional roller coaster as my dad entered the hospital with heart-related issues, a genetic blueprint with my dad’s family. We went from him being released from the hospital after a short stay to being readmitted a few weeks later for a second round. It was that second time when it became apparent things were different and not in a good way. My father warned my mother before they went to the hospital again that “we better get there or I’m not going to be around much longer.” My dad knew something was not right.

Over the next couple days our family was able to surround him with comfort. His greatest wish was to see the family that he helped create over the past 64 years. He hung in there a little longer than we expected. About a week later, he was released from the hospital and entered in-home hospice, which I believe was his wish and part of God’s plan.

My dad was proud of the fact that he had lived in four houses on three different places within a half-mile of each other throughout his lifetime. In-home hospice gave him the perfect opportunity to die peacefully in the comforts of the only surroundings he had known in his life. Less than 72 hours later, he passed away in his sleep.

He had been ready for days to join God in heaven, and in fact, near the end kept asking why he was still alive. I’ll admit that was tough to hear and added to the overall emotional toll for all of us. I knew the end was near, but it doesn’t make it any easier to handle.

The miracle that God provided our family was for all of us to spend the final days and hours with my dad, who got to say one last goodbye to everyone.

I take great comfort in knowing my dad can now rest well and be free of pain. It has also put things in perspective for me. We were never meant for this place called Earth. It’s just a temporary home, and we are made to live eternally in a place of perfection with no sadness. For my dad, I rejoice in that. And for the rest of us still here, we grieve the loss that will forever stay with us.

I’m also thankful for the blessings in my dad’s life. He and my mom were married for nearly 65 years. They had built a leading purebred hog operation in Minnesota for 50 years. He won many awards and honors throughout his lifetime, including the Minnesota Livestock Hall of Fame. Just last year, he was honored for serving 65 years on the McLeod County Fair Board.

My dad taught me the value of hard work and how to be competitive in a good way. Ihave fond memories of my mom and dad working alongside each other on the family farm with both hogs and crops.

Up until last month, my dad helped with the subscription renewal notices for this newspaper. He looked forward to helping with this monthly project, which brought them to my house. While it is important to running a newspaper, the subscriptions provided a chance for us to be together as a family.

Which leads me to perhaps the most important life lesson my dad taught me—family. I credit both of my parents for providing me with an understanding of what I believe is life’s greatest reward. Family is where it’s at. Without family, I know there would be an emptiness in my heart. I wish all young people and even some adults could understand that.

Just to give you an idea of how important family was for my dad, he and his brother took care of their younger brother, who was 2 at the time, when their mother suddenly died at the age of 42 of all things, strep throat. Over recent months, that “younger brother” was now taking care of both of his brothers, one in the hospital and the other in assisted living fighting dementia. It’s interesting how life comes full circle. I’m so proud of my family and how they have stuck together through life’s trials going back many years.

I’ve said it before but it’s worth repeating. I feel my greatest accomplishment in life has been being a father as I have three children of my own. I wouldn’t be able to achieve that without strong parental figures in the background.

I’m going to miss my father immensely, but I take comfort in knowing he’s in hot pursuit of living eternally with God… without pain and suffering.