Robert Busey, of Anchorage, died May 2 in the arms of his wife, Jessica Cherry, and his sister-in-law, Rachel Yung. The former Sitka resident was 49.
Besides Jessie and Rachel, Bob is survived by his beloved dog Jack; his parents, Dave and Jane Busey of Gordonville, Pennsylvania ; his sister Mary Ellen Moss and her husband Rob, of Centreville, Virginia; nieces Elizabeth and Emily; brother-in-law Tim Cherry; niblings Camille and Henry; and an enormous community of extended family and friends.
Bob was raised in Sitka, where he learned to love the outdoors, be it sledding down Mount Verstovia, fishing for salmon, or twice canoeing the Yukon River with the Boy Scouts. As a young person, Bob also had the opportunity to learn Japanese and travel in Russia, skills that served him well later in his career. He graduated from Sitka High School in 1995.
Bob spent 20 years living in Fairbanks, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Alaska and then worked as a hydrologist and field engineer for climate monitoring sites at remote locations all over the state. He was a key resource for Arctic data collection for a large number of scientists from all over the world, including Russia and Japan.
Bob spent the last two years of his career working as a hydrologic forecaster for the National Weather Service in Anchorage before retiring to focus on his cancer treatment and fishing.
Bob will be remembered for his infectious laugh, his intelligence, his love for snacks, his generosity, and his “bobineering” almost anything with Unistrut, hose clamps, paracord, single board computers, and/or cam straps, even at -40 F.
A celebration of his life is planned 2 p.m. June 27 at The Nave in Anchorage and via Zoom. Donations to a forthcoming campaign will support local Alaska efforts for education about screening for colorectal cancer, now the leading cause of cancer-related death in people under 50. Get your scope!
Jessie also will be building a weather station at Boyer’s Orchard (https://alaskaorchard.org) in Anchorage, as a memorial. In lieu of donations, if you spent a little on something impulsive like a “rad” new album or fishing rod, Bob would fully support that decision. Life is short; enjoy it to its fullest.
