Tom Ray Buster was born on March 6th, 1943, the son of Louie A. and Pauline M. (McKinney) Buster. He was born in Tahlequah but lived nearly 30 years in California working there in various roles, the longest of which was a supervisor for trade shows. This role allowed him to see much of the United States and contributed to his growing interest in collectibles, antiques, and rare items. When he returned to Tahlequah, nearly 30 years ago, he worked at NSU and with the Sanitation department, where he continued to discover and collect items of interest. Up until his death, he would spend hours researching the value of certain items on the internet that he had collected throughout his lifetime.
Tom’s value for knowledge was present in many ways. His curious mind showed up in his interest in history, especially WWII, the idea of extraterrestrials and even the origin of the universe. He asked himself a lot of questions and was methodical about writing these interests in his notebook and researching them on the internet. He was open to learning more about the world around him and with his daughter Angel, he managed to travel to Paris, France, various places in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
Tom was very outspoken and stubborn; he never let anyone push him into something he didn’t want to do. You never had to guess what was on his mind; he would let himself be known. However opinionated he might have been, he had a big heart and never dare wanted to be a burden to others; even in his final days. On Thursday, February 20th, 2020 this humble soul passed from this life with his loving daughter and sister by his side. He was 76 years old and will be greatly missed.
Tom is preceded in death by his mom and dad, two brothers, Leon Buster and Leonard Buster, maternal grandparents, Arvil and Stella McKinney and paternal grandparents, Bill and Clovie Thornton.
Those left to cherish his memory include his daughter, Angel Buster and companion Gerard Danjou of the Netherlands, his beloved granddaughter, Sonnia Brouwer also of the Netherlands, one sister, Judy Gaines of Tahlequah, OK and one sister-in-law, Sarah Buster of Moore, OK as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends and loved ones.
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