Louise Bush

Born May 12, 1922 in Crestline, she was one of seven children born to Amedeo Ales Sandro Guglielmo William and Isolina Lucia Montini Salvati. She graduated from Crestline High School in 1940, worked as a welder during WWII, and moved to Mansfield in 1947 where she worked at Westinghouse Corporation for seven years as an executive secretary in the sales department until she began her fifty-year career in real estate sales in 1954, for which she was honored by the Mansfield Board of Realtors in Dec., 2003, being the first woman in Mansfield to receive a 50-year pin. She returned to Crestline in Feb., 2001 and was currently licensed with Sluss Realty Co.

When Louise started in real estate, there were only six women in Mansfield selling real estate, and when she opened Louise Bush Realty Co. in the late 1950's, it was the only agency in the area owned by a woman. In 1959, she was the first woman to be appointed an investigator for the Ohio Real Estate Commission, and she was the first woman to negotiate right-of-way purchases for the state of Ohio, which she did during the construction of I-71. Mrs. Bush served the Mansfield Board of Realtors in many capacities including President, Vice-President, Director for two years, RPAC chairman for three years, Political Affairs Committee Chairman for three years, Computer Committee member for two years, Convention Committee member for several years, Project Pride co-chairman, Mortgage Money Crunch Committee chairman, Legislative Committee co-chairman, and was voted Realtor of the Year in 1976 and 1979. She served the Ohio Association of Realtors as a member of Legislative, License Law, Make America Better, Political Affairs, Political Affairs Steering, Nominating, and Membership Committees, as vice-chairman and chairman of Membership Services Committee, as chairman of an ad-hoc committee formed to settle a dispute in the Lorain-Elyria area, and moderator of a quarterly general session. She also served on several National Association of Realtors committees and had been a member of Farm and Land Institute and Realtors National Marketing Institute. She was certified as a Master Residential Appraiser and in December, 2000 was inducted into the Mansfield Board of Realtors Hall of Fame. Louise was also active in local, state, and national politics for many years, having been elected 17th Congressional District Democrat State Central Committee Woman for two terms and was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1980. She served as Secretary and Vice-President of the Richland County Young Democrats and was the first woman elected President of that organization. She was a past Vice-President of Ohio League of Young Democrats, past secretary, committee member, vice-chairman, and delegate to state convention for the Richland County Democrat Executive Committee, and a member for several years of the Richland County Democrat Central Committee. She served on many campaign committees including Crestline Mayor Pete Dzugan's and was Richland County coordinator for several candidates including Senator John Glenn and President Jimmy Carter. In October, 1978, she was selected as one of 75 Ohio Democrats to have a briefing and lunch with President Carter, but her biggest thrill was attending his inauguration in place of her good friend, Congressman John Ashbrook, who gave her his tickets and loaned her his condominium and car and the special privileges attached for the occasion. Her prior civic activities included two hospital drives, several United Way drives, several cancer drives, Richland County Children's Services director, North Central Ohio Chapter of Multiple Sclerosis director, Mansfield Memorial Homes life member, Mansfield Business and Professional Women's Club member, Mansfield Civil Service Commission member, WMAN business person of the week, Richland County Grand Jury forelady, Mansfield Park Association secretary, Woodland Grade School PTA secretary, Woodland Grade School room mother, Girl Scout camp mother, Regional Planning Housing Committee member, Chamber of Commerce Planning Commission member, Richland County Women's Golf Association secretary, vice-president and president, Soroptomist Club secretary and delegate to state convention, and member of the first Mansfield City Charter Commission. Recipient of the Girl's Athletic Association gold medal in high school, former hobbies included bowling 175 average and golf runner-up in Richland County Women's Golf Association tournament, while current hobbies included bridge, poker, and bingo. She was a member of the First Congregational Church in Mansfield since 1953 and had served as a Sunday school teacher.

Surviving are a daughter, Debbie Ken Chucci of Crestline; three step-grandsons; three step-great-grandchildren; numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, cousins, and three sisters-in-law. She was preceded in death by her parents; four brothers, Robert, Joe, Tony and Almelio Salvati; two sisters, Rose Niebes and Jean Dittrich; and a great-nephew, Joe Salvati.

Friends will be received 2-4 and 7-9, Thursday, October 14 at the Ontario Home of Wappner Funeral Directors. Services will be held at the funeral home, Friday, October 15, 2004 at 1:00 p.m. with Rev. Clifford Schutjer officiating. Interment will follow in the Greenlawn Cemetery in Crestline. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the First Congregational Church, St. Jude's Shrine or the Alzheimer's Association.