Richard Louis Busby
Obituary
Richard “Smokey” Louis Busby passed away on April 21, 2023, in Burien, Washington. Born October 26, 1939, in St. Louis, Missouri, Richard moved to Seattle with his family in 1949 and attended Garfield High School’s class of 1957.
Richard is survived by his children Richard Gable, Randall Kilheffer and Sheri Healey, his many grandchildren, great grandchildren, and sister Joanne Harvey. Richard is predeceased by his mother Victoria, his loving wife Nellie Ann (Nan) Busby, his step granddaughter Jaqueline Kilheffer and his cat Tobee.
As a young man, Richard worked at Lockheed Shipyard, but held an entrepreneurial spirit which led to opening his own club and dabbling in business adventures. Richard’s greatest achievement was the founder of SeaDruNar Recycling, a pioneering job training commercial recycling company to help support the mission of SeaDruNar, the innovative long term drug treatment program his late wife Nan founded. Richard took pride in helping individuals rise beyond their own initial expectations and giving back to the community.
Richard loved wheeled vehicles, racing motorcycles as a teen, driving his Ferrari as a young man and eventually becoming an avid NASCAR fan.
Exploring was one of Richard’s passions, travelling extensively across the western US with Nan and their cat Tobee, along with boating throughout the Puget Sound region while finishing their travel career in their beloved Beaver motorhome with many excursions throughout the Western U.S. to spend time with family and friends.
Richard doted on his vehicles to make them look their best and placed the same amount of pride in his house and yard. Richard had a lawn that matched the nicest golf courses and shrubbery that was always pruned to perfection. He also adored his family and loved to share his time with them while traveling, dining out or hosting events that could take advantage of his immaculate landscaping.
A family burial will be held May 5th at Bonney Watson, 16445 International Blvd, SeaTac WA 98188 to be followed immediately by a public memorial at 3pm in the Bonney Watson Chapel.
