Dr. William S. Bush

BUSH, Dr. William S….

We mourn the loss, on March 24, 2019, of William S. Bush, who died peacefully in his sleep at Victoria Hospital, with family by his side, at the age of 89. He was the beloved husband of Mary (née Sutcliffe) Bush, his wife of 59 years; the dearest of fathers to Anastasia, Jamie (Danielle), John, and Andrew (Lisa); the loving grandfather of Jessica; and the dear brother of Gaile Newsome and the late Ralph Bush.

He was born in Plant City, Florida, in 1929, the son of the late William Shirley and Vera (née Crews) Bush. His earliest passions were music, religion, and flowers – as a little boy, he aspired to be a florist. His flare for music led him to serve, during his adolescence, as an organist in several Plant City churches. He went on to study music and languages at Stetson University. After his undergraduate studies, he spent a year doing missionary work in Haiti, and he taught at a mission school in South Dakota. In 1953, he earned an MA from the University of South Dakota, where he discovered the love of French literature that would shape his subsequent academic career. Awarded a Fulbright scholarship in 1954, he pursued his PhD in France at the Sorbonne, earning his doctorate in 1958. While working on his doctorate, he served as the choir director and organist at the St George’s Anglican Church in Paris, where he met Mary. The story of their meeting – the start of a love that spanned more than 60 years – was one that he often told.

He began his teaching career at Duke University, then moved to the University of Western Ontario in 1966, where he spent the remainder of his academic career. An animated lecturer and devoted mentor, he is vividly remembered by many former students. He was a distinguished scholar and prolific writer, one of the world’s foremost experts on the French Catholic writer Georges Bernanos. After his retirement, he published several books, on the French Revolution and on Orthodox theology, that have a devoted international following.

His Orthodox Christian faith was the centre of his spiritual life. In the 1970s, he helped found the first English-speaking Orthodox church in London, Ontario, and for many years organized the music for the services. A great moment of his life was the consecration, in 2011, of the Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church on Horton Street, to which he remained passionately devoted even when failing health prevented him from attending services. The family will be forever grateful to Father Martin Meitz for the comfort he brought to William (“Vasileios”) in his final months.

His sweet nature touched everyone who knew him. He delighted in music, art, literature, history, travel with his wife, gardening, laughter, and good food. He was a man of great vitality whose life – passionately pursued, with diverse achievements and abundant family affection and fun – saw a full bloom.

A visitation will be held at the A. Millard George Funeral Home, 60 Ridout Street South, London, on Friday, March 29, 2019 from 7-9 pm with a short prayer service taking place at 8:30 pm. The funeral service will be held at the Holy Transfiguration Antiochian Orthodox Church, 465 Horton Street East, London, ON N6B 1M2 on Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 10 am. Interment in Woodland Cemetery, London. Sympathy donations may be made to the Holy Transfiguration Antiochian Orthodox Church or to Parkwood Institute’s Rehabilitation Program, c/o St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation, 268 Grosvenor Street, London, ON N6A 4V2. Online condolences, memories and photographs shared at www.amgfh.com