James Wesley DeBusk

James Wesley ("Wes") DeBusk died on May 24, 2013, after fighting a long and courageous battle with cancer. Final services will be held in the chapel at West Resthaven Funeral Home, 6450 W. Northern Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85301 at 10 am on May 30, 2013.

Wes DeBusk was born on December 31, 1932, to parents Dwight and Helen (Sacchi) DeBusk. He was raised by his mother and stepfather, C.W. ("Bill") Boyle on a ranch west of Glendale. Wes attended Peoria and Phoenix grade schools. After graduating from Phoenix Tech High School, he worked briefly at Reynolds Aluminum in Phoenix, then managed a Gulf gas station near Indian School Rd. and 7th Street before joining the U.S. Air Force in 1952. He was first stationed at Ft. Warren in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where he was nominated for the prestigious 1953 "Airman of the Year" award. He was then stationed at Tachikawa Air Base near Tokyo, Japan, where he was the non-commissioned officer-in-charge of the Liquid Oxygen Project. After an honorable discharge from the Air Force in 1956, Wes became a test operator for Acme Precision Products in Dayton, Ohio. Returning to the Phoenix area, he started a home-remodeling business. In 1962 he joined the Phoenix Fire Department where he served for 12 years. At one time, while off-duty, Wes rescued two small children from a home fire for which he was honored with the highly coveted "Fireman of the Year" award.

Ballroom dancing became one of Wes' enjoyments and it was there that he met his future wife, Sylvia Thyken. They were married in 1966, but after only one short year she fell terminally ill and Wes became her constant caregiver. Both Wes and Sylvia grieved deeply over the loss of their stillborn child. Sylvia died in 1971.

Encouraged by his mother's widespread philanthropic activities, Wes became a staunch and generous supporter of many charitable organizations. He first joined Marian Edwards, founder of the Arizona Deaf Referral Center, where he raised the funds needed to provide in-home teletypes and interpreters for the deaf. After this work was taken over by the State of Arizona, Wes devoted two years as a volunteer at the Phoenix Children's Hospital. Wes was also an early colleague of Dolly Peralta, one of the founders of the Arizona Make-A-Wish foundation. His activities there ranged from fundraising to wish-granting. His work with Make-A-Wish spawned the popular "Smile" program which provided cheer to hospital-bound children with visits from clowns and fairytale characters. Wes donated a substantial tract of land to the city of Prescott, Arizona, for a city park. This is now known as the Boyle-DeBusk Mountain Preserve. With the creation of his own philanthropic foundation, Wes supported over 20 charitable organizations, many times with personal involvement in addition to helping fund their activities. His most recent focus has been the Sunshine Angels of northwest Phoenix to which he contributes items needed for the care and housing of Foster Care children, as well as financial support. He has also contributed funds to the Mayo Clinic and Hospital for development of the cutting edge cancer-treating Proton Beam Project and to the Mayo Village which houses transplant patients. Wes' most personal and beloved activity has been his campaign of "Smile" envelopes which he distributed randomly to strangers he saw performing acts of kindness. A small dollar amount was enclosed in each "Smile" envelope with a note recognizing the kindness and encouraging the recipient to pass on the envelope to others they observed doing kind deeds. Wes' "Smile" envelope campaign has spread beyond him, with others joining in the recognition of random acts of good will. Particularly fond of children, Wes has purchased and distributed hundreds of tickets to the merry-go-round and miniature train rides at a busy northeast Phoenix shopping mall. At Christmas time, hundreds of children, as well as adults, visited his home to enjoy the outdoor display of animated characters which he rewired and reconfigured to operate at the touch of a small child's hand.

During his battle with cancer in the final years of his life, Wes found help and encouragement in the caring treatment he received from the staff of Mayo Hospital's 7th floor Infusion Department. Wes has been predeceased in death by his wife Sylvia and their infant child his mother and stepfather Helen and Bill Boyle his father Dwight DeBusk, and brother, Stanley. He is survived by nephew, Robert DeBusk (Cathy Shaw) of Carefreee and great-nephews; Dylan and Case and by nephew, Trent DeBusk (Wendee Shefveland) and great-niece Delaney. Survivors also include his former sisters-in-law Faye (DeBusk) Horne of Carefree and Joanne Thyken of Fountain Hills. Wes DeBusk was a compassionate and generous man who cared deeply for the welfare of others and who put these feelings into action. His family and many friends will greatly miss Wes' energy, helping hand, and good humor.

To honor Wes and carry on his legacy of generosity, charitable donations in lieu of flowers can be made to the Sunshine Angels, 1541 Betty Elyse Lane, Phoenix, AZ (phone 702-375-8165) and/or the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Arizona, 711 E. Northern Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85020 (phone 602-343-9474).