John Kalil Busada

John K. Busada, a post WW II entrepreneur was born on September 11, 1917 in Worcester, Mass to Lebanese immigrants. Born the eldest of seven children: smart, determined and self-driven, he received several scholarships and earned a chemistry degree from Worcester Polytechnique Institute in 1939.

By 1942 he was working at GE developing plastics laminates for the war effort. But his real desire was to enlist in the Navy’s Materials Division. In 1943 he enlisted as an Ensign and later was commissioned a Lieutenant in the Navy’s Bureau of Ordinance.

After the war he traveled to molding plants with the aim of engineering and setting up efficient thermoplastic and thermosetting molding practices to obtain maximum production with no sacrifice in quality. (In 1945, he began working in the Materials Division of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy’s office as plastics material engineer, and as coordinator of plastics specifications for the joint Army and Navy Munitions Board.)

On December 8,1945, while still in the navy, he married Violet Abraham, the Mississippi- born daughter of Lebanese immigrants, whom he met in Washington. They married on her birthday.

After the war he traveled abroad working as an ambassador of the plastics’ conglomerate Omni Products Corp. He traveled to Europe, India, Pakistan, and the Middle East to service and sell to Omni’s customers. While in India, he thought of starting his own manufacturing business. So, with a loan from his uncle Eli Boosahda, he put a down payment on a plastics extruder and rented a garage in Maspeth, N.Y. Today, Busada Mfg. Corp., founded in1951, continues to specialize in the extrusion of plastic pipe and tubing with a niche in supplying products for pneumatic transport. His first client was Sweetheart Cups and they remain a customer today. He subsequently moved his operation to larger plants in the NYC metropolitan area.

In 1987, John built his own 20,000 sq. ft. factory in Louisa, VA, where it now operates under the direction of his son Charles, and daughter Jean. Soon it will move into its 3rd generation, Busada Mfg. Corp. continues to expand and modernize using new materials, that include FDA approved formulas for food transport as it continues to service its long list of Fortune 500 Companies worldwide.

John always believed in giving back to the communities where he lived. He was a member of the Plastic Pioneers, Society of Plastic Engineers, The Scottish Rite and The Damascus Lodge (where he was Designated the district deputy grand master). He was President of The Lions Club, Board chairman of the Flushing YMCA, served on the board of trustees for the Flushing hospital and president of The Chamber of Commerce. He was also active in the Rotary Club, The Masonic Lodge, and The Shriners. He was selected “man of the year” while serving his communities both in Flushing and Louisa. He established a scholarship fund at his Alma Mater WPI, a scholarship fund at Piedmont Virginia Community College and together with Violet established a college fund for their grandchildren. They supported local charities including, but not limited to, the Louisa Library and Louisa Performing Arts Center and were loyal members serving on the vestry of St. James Episcopal in Louisa.

But most importantly he prioritized his family through generosity and ingenuity. When he asked “how are you?”, he really meant it. He was engaging, he listened and enjoyed visiting the most. He never missed a birthday, graduation, wedding, ball game, play performance or dance recital. He had an inquisitive mind and maintained a curiosity about the workings of the world every day of his life A gentleman with an incredible sense of humor, ready to laugh, always reading and learning with a continual optimistic outlook on life. It was this levity and pursuit that irrigated the fields of his long life. He leaves us all with a legacy of joy. May we all approach the angels as John did, with such humor, grace, and always adorned with a dapper bowtie!

He died on April 7, 2020 at the young age of 102 ½! He is survived by two brothers, two children, seven grandchildren, five (and one on the way) great grandchildren and hundreds of nieces, nephews, and cousins.