Stanley F Buswell

(March 1, 1933 – November 2, 2024)

Stanley F. Buswell, 91, passed away on Saturday, November 2, 2024 in Upper St Clair, PA. He was a long-time resident of the McGrann Hills subdivision of Peters Township.

Stanley was born and raised in East Kingston, NH. He was the son of the late Ralph and Etta (Webster) Buswell. After graduating from Sanborn Seminary High School in Kingston, NH in 1951, he attended the University of New Hampshire for two years before transferring to the University of Pittsburgh where he graduated with a B.S. Degree in Health, Physical Education and Recreation in 1955 and a M.Ed. in Education in 1958. He completed advanced course work toward a PhD at the University of West Virginia and University of Pittsburgh.

Stanley began his professional career at the Pittsburgh YMCA in 1955 rising to the position of Associate General Executive responsible for public relations, program expansion and day-to-day operations. During the summers he moved his young family to Camp Kon-O-Kwee, near Zelienople, where he ultimately became Camp Director.

In 1966 Stanley was hired by Point Park College of Pittsburgh to be their Director of Community Relations eventually becoming Vice President and Secretary. Point Park College was rapidly expanding their Visual and Performing Arts Department during Stanley’s tenure. The College started the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater of which he was a charter member and on the Board of Trustees. He was Secretary of the Board of Trustees after the College bought The Pittsburgh Play House, was a member of the Board of Trustees for the American Wind Symphony Orchestra, and Vice Chairman, Board of Trustees for the Renaissance Center for the Arts. Stanley’s family often accompanied him to theater performances and concerts, and he was frequently seen at college sporting events with his children.

Stanley’s community involvement extended beyond Point Park College and included various leadership positions in the Jaycees of Pittsburgh, Optimist Club of Pittsburgh and Boy Scouts of America. He was a member of the Mt. Lebanon Methodist Church and Christ United Methodist Church.

Stanley’s career took an entrepreneurial turn when, along with a colleague, he opened the Crazy Quilt, a night club on Market Square in downtown Pittsburgh. He then acquired the Open Pantry Food Mart, one of the earliest convenience stores, on Rt 19 South in Peters Township. His wife, Carole, managed the store for eighteen years. He started an ice business, Ice World, with his son Steve and opened Drum World in Castle Shannon when his son John became a drummer. Drum World remained in business for 42 years until Stanley retired in 2018. Stanley and his son, John, worked side by side for years and turned Drum World into an iconic destination in the tri-state area. At one point it was ranked 10th nationally among drum stores. All of Stanley’s children worked in his businesses at various times and received an informal education in business management.

Stanley was a dedicated and loyal family man enjoying nothing more than spending time with his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren watching a Steelers or Penguins game or playing cards. Being an enthusiastic outdoorsman, Stanley introduced his children to camping at an early age. The family saw much of the Unites States during their camping vacations including one memorable two-week road trip to Estes Park, CO for a YMCA convention. They pushed on to Utah and took the northern route home through the Dakotas. Nightly entertainment was competitive games of Hearts or Rummy by lantern light. Trips to his beloved New Hampshire to visit family and relive childhood memories were an annual highlight.

Stanley was predeceased in October 2023 by his wife of 70 years, Carole (Hess) Buswell who he met in the summer of 1953 at the Forest Hills Hotel, Franconia New Hampshire, where both were working summer jobs while in college. The next semester he transferred to the University of Pittsburgh, they married and started a family. He will be lovingly remembered by his four children: Rebecca (Jim) Young, Karyn (Bill) O’Brien, Steven (Tracy) Buswell, and John Buswell and his former wife Melinda Messina-Buswell, his13 grandchildren: Daniel (Ashley) Buswell, Laressa (Ernest) Comfort, Michael O’Brien, Christopher (Jessica) Buswell, Peter (Taylor) O’Brien, Nathanael Buswell, Steven Buswell, Corey Buswell, Zachariah Buswell, Gabrielle Buswell, Aydin Buswell, Kathryn Buswell, Aybriana Buswell, his ten great grandchildren, brother Leonard (Mary) Buswell of Haverhill, MA and brother-in-law Lincoln West of Exeter, NH. He was proceeded in death by brothers Ralph Buswell, Jr., Russell Buswell and Lawrence Buswell, sisters Marie West and Elsie St. Laurent, son-in-law Jerry Livengood and granddaughter Alleen (Buswell) Hartlieb.

Family and friends are invited to attend a Memorial Service and reception on Friday, November 15th, 1:00pm at Christ United Methodist Church, 44 Highland Road, Bethel Park, PA 15102.