Lewis Hardy Slusser's Obituary
Lewis Hardy ?Buba? Slusser, age 74, of Kilgore, Texas peacefully ended his courageous battle with cancer on October 17, 2004. Buba was born in Smackover, Arkansas on November 16, 1929, the second of ten children born to Joseph Andrew and Pearl Hardy Slusser. His father soon began his career with Sinclair Oil Company and the family moved to Kilgore, where Buba grew up.
After high school, Buba joined the Air Force in 1947. He was discharged in 1949 and returned home to attend Kilgore Junior College. Soon thereafter, Buba began work in the oil drilling industry, a distinguished career that lasted over thirty years. He spent most of his time working in deep sea drilling and exploration throughout the world including long-term assignments in the Middle East, North Africa, Singapore, Nigeria, and South America. He immensely enjoyed his work and made many lasting friendships. Upon retirement he lived in Austin until 2000 when he moved home to Kilgore.
Buba loved to work in his garden where he always grew enough to feed a small village. In all things in life, if a little bit was good then a whole lot was a whole lot better. He was a very kind, compassionate and generous man, helping people wherever he went. He enjoyed a gifted sense of humor and shared it worldwide. Buba loved his family, quick wit, making people laugh and everything about the UT Longhorns. He will be remembered for the joy he had for life and the courage he showed in death.
Buba was a proud and loving son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather. He is survived by his wife, Patricia, his daughters Christy Washburn and her husband Stephen, Cathy Qualls and her husband Robert; stepchildren Michelle Lane and husband John, and Gary Siddons; grandchildren Joseph and Tyra Tydlacka, Kativa Levrier, Will Washburn, Ty Qualls, and Matthew and Jessica Lane; great granddaughters Shelby Daughn and Josie Tydlacka; great grandson Michael Carlisle; mother Pearl Slusser; sisters Paula Clary, Ruth Craver, and Connie Bielfeldt, and brothers Ronnie, Johnnie, and Andy. Buba was preceded in death by his father, his beloved son, Mark, sister Josephine Massey and brothers Joseph II and Robert.
His family wishes to acknowledge with heartfelt gratitude the kindness and support given by his friends and medical providers including Dr. Bernard Taylor, Dr. Rama Koya, Dr. Ted Slade, LifeCare Hospice, all of Longview, and the physicians and staff at Duke University Brain Tumor Center.
?Our Dad made every minute of his life count. While there is a hole in our hearts that will never be filled, our lives have been richly blessed by the life that he led and the man that he was.?
?A father?s legacy is not riches, possessions, or worldly goods of any kind; it is the way he lived, the lives he touched, the promises he kept. It is the kind of man he was? ---Author Unknown
A celebration of his life will be held 2 PM Tuesday, October 19, 2004 in the Chapel of Radar Funeral Home, 1617 Judson Road, Longview, Texas. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society or to the charity of your choice.
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
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