John was born August 21, 1931, in Chicago, IL, to John L. Cudley and Lillian M. Purkiser. He was later adopted by his step father, George C. Bush. He attended Lane Tech High School and later joined the Navy in 1949 being stationed at Glenview Naval Air Station.
He married Leslie in 1951 after having known her since the fifth grade. They moved from Chicago to Arizona where he worked as a police officer in Tucson and Flagstaff and then as a sheriff in Coconino County, Arizona. They moved to Missouri in 1967 where John worked for the Independence Police Department two separate times as a patrolman, detective, and composite sketch artist. He also had side jobs of working security at McDonald's on Noland Road and the Independence Examiner and he worked many Santa-Cali-Gons over the years. He worked briefly as a special agent for the Rock Island Railroad. He retired from the Independence Police Department in 1981. He served in both the Navy and Army where he was medically discharged in 1990 after almost 20 years of service from Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas. He returned back to Independence from San Antonio. He was a substitute teacher for the Fort Osage School District teaching his grandchildrens' classes. He enjoyed working security at the Truman Library where he visited with and met many dignitaries including Harry Truman's family, politicians, and celebrities until full retirement.
He attended Arizona State University later graduating from Central Missouri State University in 1978 with a BS in criminal justice.
John enjoyed oil painting and pen and ink drawing. He especially loved painting the mountains of Arizona and Colorado. He was also an avid collector of model planes, trains, and automobiles with his favorites being fire trucks and police cars. His most recent project was restoring a 1963 Thunderbird. He was almost done with it but got to drive it only once. He especially enjoyed road trips traveling the country with his family over the years. He went to Hawaii two times after he retired. John and Leslie traveled to San Diego to board and tour the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier. They also went to Norfolk to board and tour the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in 1998 when it was commissioned. These were highlights of John's life. He was planning a trip back to Norfolk in April of this year to watch the USS Harry S. Truman come in but this time his special nephew, Tristan Bush, would be aboard arriving after a tour of duty. Because of the coronavirus John was unable to go.
He was a member of Independence 76 Masonic Lodge where he was a 32nd degree Mason. He was also a member of York Rite, Scottish Rite, Ararat Shrine, Legion of Honor, Eastern Star, Fraternal Order of Police, and American Legion Post 21. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Independence but also enjoyed attending Oakland United Methodist Church in Buckner.
John was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Robert M. Bush, and 2 son-in-laws Steve Hinkebein and William Alderson. He leaves behind his wife of 69 years, Leslie Bush of the home, five children, Patti Alderson, Joanne Hinkebein, Michael John, Carolyn Luther (Ron), and Kathleen Rimmer-Dostal (Dave), one sister Joy Wieska, 12 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren, one great great grandchild, and many nieces and nephews who thought the world of him.
Visitation 11am - 12pm, followed by Memorial Service 12pm -2pm on Sunday, October 4 at Newcomer's Noland Road Chapel, 509 S. Noland Rd., Independence, MO 64050.
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