loving father of two children, passed away at the age of 59.
Charlie is survived by two sons, Alexander Bussman of Ellicott City, MD and Eric Bussman of Astoria, OR.
He is also survived by four siblings, Nancy Harmison (Joe) of Arlington, TX; Mary Nugent (Chris) of
Arlington, VA; Elizabeth Mahler (George) of Columbia, MD; Bill Bussman of Houston, TX.
Charlie was born on September 8, 1960 in St. Paul, MN to William J. Bussman and Marian Beebe Bussman.
He grew up in Minnesota, Connecticut, and Texas; he graduated from Klein High School in Houston, TX in
1980. He began his career in Texas working at a meat market/deli, in pool maintenance, and
construction. After moving to Maryland, Charlie’s interests in horticulture and landscaping led him to a
position with Metzler’s Garden Center in Columbia. His career in IT began in the mid-1980s where he
rose to the position of Senior Support Desk Engineer/Systems Administrator. He worked for a variety of
government contractors supporting NASA at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD.
He was most proud of his boys, Alex and Eric, and enjoyed spending time with them playing video games,
swimming in the pool, decorating the house for holidays, and attending school activities, science fairs,
concerts, and sporting events. He also supported and took pride in their Cub/Boy Scout
accomplishments.
Charlie loved to cook, including grilling out in the summer and making his grandmother’s traditional
Swedish meatball recipe every year for his family on Christmas Eve. His love of nature was life long and
included feeding and caring for birds, rescuing turtles in need, studying horticulture, and designing the
landscape in his yard.
Charlie’s hobbies included building and collecting Marklin trains and a fondness for acoustic and electric
guitars. He cultivated a sophisticated love of music that included an array of talented musicians across
many genres, including rock, bluegrass, country, blues, and surfer music. His favorite musicians included
Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, Dave Lindley, Warren Zevon, Dick Dale and groups such as AC/DC, Dire
Straits, The Cars, One Louder, and Pink Floyd. He valued the expertise, precision, and diligence of these
musicians and listened to every note. Rams Head Tavern in Annapolis, MD was one of his favorite local
concert venues. He was also an avid fan of movies, including old westerns, comedies, and other classics.
Charlie will be remembered for his immense pride in his children, a gentle and kind demeanor, his
extensive generosity, compassion, quick wit, and exceptional sense of humor. He also maintained a deep
curiosity and sense of wonder and respect for animals, nature, and the workings of the physical world.
Throughout his life he made friends easily with his vibrant and approachable personality. To his family,
he will always be “sweet Charlie.”
The family would like to thank the medical professionals at both Howard County General Hospital and
the Johns Hopkins Hospital Cardiac Care Unit for their extraordinary care and support during his final
days.
Remembrances may be shared through the Witzke Funeral Home website at:
http://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/columbia-md/charles-bussman-8883988. In lieu of
flowers, donations may be made to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (www.birds.cornell.edu)or World
Wildlife Fund (www.worldwildlife.org). A celebration of Charlie’s life is being planned for Spring 2020 to
enable his son Eric, currently deployed with the US Coast Guard, to be with us.
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