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November 14, 2018
Services
Friends may visit with the family from 2-6 PM on Sunday, November 18, 2018 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
A 9:30 Funeral Mass will be held on Monday, November 19, 2018 at Saint Marys Church, 17 Pompton Avenue, Pompton Lakes.
Interment will be in Maryrest Cemetery, Mahwah.
Jerry Busko, age 89, of Wayne, passed peacefully at home on Wednesday, November 14, 2018.
He was born in January of 1929 in Bialystok, Poland to Constantine and Antoinina Busko. At age eleven German forces invaded Poland. His parents told him to hide in the woods as young boys were being taken and sent to slave labor camps. After 2 weeks, missing his parents he returned home and unfortunately was captured and sent to a German slave labor camp. Jerry lived in this camp for close to five years. He befriended a guard who would share extra rations with him. This same guard would eventually confide to Jerry that the camp was going to be liberated and they will most likely be killed over the next few days as the Allied forces were closing in. Jerry shared this information with a few other captives he believed he could trust and that night they dug a tunnel with their hands under the fence and escaped. They scavenged for food and safe hiding that night. They eventually made a campfire and fell asleep. They awoke to find United States military forces around them. Jerry was sent to a camp for displaced people in Middendorf, Germany. At the camp, all nationalities were placed together. His town had been bombed and he believed his parents were dead and conversely they assumed Jerry was dead. With the assumption that he had no family left and knowing the destruction of his hometown of Nowy ogrod, Jerry had no desire to return there.
He was selected and offered passage to the United States. On July 27, 1946, by himself, he boarded the S/S Marine Perch for a nine day voyage to the United States at the age of 16. When he first arrived he was placed in an orphanage in Lodi, New Jersey. A Polish couple, Frank and Stephania Lustyk, were looking for a young child to adopt and a nun at the orphanage said they should consider a nice young man named Jerry. They took Jerry into their home at 42 East Main Street in Paterson where they lived above their butcher shop. He went to school for a year to assist in learning English. He read the paper every day to learn English, which he continued to do so up into is final day. He worked in the family butcher shop as a young man and also found work as a Dying Machine Tender at Kramer & King. He quickly was promoted to an elevated position.
On February 6, 1951 he was drafted into the United States Army. He received training as a “Crawler and Wheel Tractor Operator” in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Due to his employment experience he was first placed into the position of Quarter Master and soon after was promoted to a Sergeant. He was deployed to Osan Korea, where they built the first and largest military plane landing strip which is still in operation today. Jerry was honorably discharged from the Army on February 21, 1953 and received the Korean Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the United Nations Service Medal for his service.
After returning home, Jerry’s military heavy equipment training became his lifetime career. He loved his job and was extremely appreciative of the skills he learned while with the Army. He felt strongly indebted to the Army for shaping his future and life. When he returned home he secured a job at DKF. Jerry would meet his future wife, M. Edith “Tootie” Wicky through his connection with her father and a close friend through employment. He was a talented dancer and loved to dance. This lead to an introduction to Tootie, the love of his life at a local dance club. He proposed and they married at Saint Paul’s Catholic Church in Prospect Park on June 30, 1956. They honeymooned in Niagara Falls, New York and enjoyed a devoted marriage of fifty-one years before her passing on September 26, 2007.
In 1956, he became employed with his brother-in-law’s company, PT& L Construction in Paramus as a heavy equipment operator for close to 25 years. Later he was employed with J. Fletcher Creamer Company in Hackensack, for about fifteen years before retiring in 1994. Jerry had an unmatched work ethic never missing one day of work and never used an alarm clock.
At the age of thirty-six Jerry would find that his parents had survived the war and were living in Poland. The Russians controlled Poland at this time and travel was difficult at best and the worst case scenario was if you did get in you may not be able to leave. Since his capture at the age of eleven Jerry never saw his parents again and corresponded via letters that were often censored.
Jerry will be lovingly remembered as a Mr. Fix It. He was naturally mechanically inclined and if it broke you brought it to Jerry. If you gave him something to fix he would tinker with it in his basement workshop and with a few spare parts and some choice words he could repair just about anything. He was meticulous and extremely organized. He was particularly focused on his personal appearance as well. His hair had to be combed just so, and he never left the house without dress slacks and a shirt.
In his retired years, he enjoyed watching his favorite sports teams the New York Giants, New York Red Bulls, New Jersey Devils, Brooklyn Nets and old classic movies. Jerry was also passionate about politics and just this past Tuesday his daughter arrived at his home to find he was dressed and ready to go vote. He most loved the time he was able to spend with his children, grandchildren and extended family for holidays, picnics, vacations and other occasions.
Jerry was the devoted father of Jerry Busko and his wife Kathy of Windham, NH, Susan Bennett of Butler, and Lori Lindstrom and her husband Howard of Wayne; he was the foster-brother of Christina Galino of Ojai, CA, brother-in-law of Phyllis and Tony Laganella of Ramsey and the cherished grandfather of eight grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers memorial donations to the Hudson Valley Honor Flight -click on blue text to donate or mail donations to: Hudson Valley Honor Flight Attn: Donations, PO Box 375, Walden, NY 12586. Jerry participated in an honor extended to Veteran’s to be flown to and tour memorials in Washington DC, through the Hudson Valley Honor Flight in early 2017. Memorial donations in his honor would be greatly appreciated.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family from 2-6 PM on Sunday, November 18, 2018 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
A 9:30 Funeral Mass will be held on Monday, November 19, 2018 at Saint Marys Church, 17 Pompton Avenue, Pompton Lakes.
Interment will be in Maryrest Cemetery, Mahwah.
November 14, 2018
Services
Friends may visit with the family from 2-6 PM on Sunday, November 18, 2018 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
A 9:30 Funeral Mass will be held on Monday, November 19, 2018 at Saint Marys Church, 17 Pompton Avenue, Pompton Lakes.
Interment will be in Maryrest Cemetery, Mahwah.
Jerry Busko, age 89, of Wayne, passed peacefully at home on Wednesday, November 14, 2018.
He was born in January of 1929 in Bialystok, Poland to Constantine and Antoinina Busko. At age eleven German forces invaded Poland. His parents told him to hide in the woods as young boys were being taken and sent to slave labor camps. After 2 weeks, missing his parents he returned home and unfortunately was captured and sent to a German slave labor camp. Jerry lived in this camp for close to five years. He befriended a guard who would share extra rations with him. This same guard would eventually confide to Jerry that the camp was going to be liberated and they will most likely be killed over the next few days as the Allied forces were closing in. Jerry shared this information with a few other captives he believed he could trust and that night they dug a tunnel with their hands under the fence and escaped. They scavenged for food and safe hiding that night. They eventually made a campfire and fell asleep. They awoke to find United States military forces around them. Jerry was sent to a camp for displaced people in Middendorf, Germany. At the camp, all nationalities were placed together. His town had been bombed and he believed his parents were dead and conversely they assumed Jerry was dead. With the assumption that he had no family left and knowing the destruction of his hometown of Nowy ogrod, Jerry had no desire to return there.
He was selected and offered passage to the United States. On July 27, 1946, by himself, he boarded the S/S Marine Perch for a nine day voyage to the United States at the age of 16. When he first arrived he was placed in an orphanage in Lodi, New Jersey. A Polish couple, Frank and Stephania Lustyk, were looking for a young child to adopt and a nun at the orphanage said they should consider a nice young man named Jerry. They took Jerry into their home at 42 East Main Street in Paterson where they lived above their butcher shop. He went to school for a year to assist in learning English. He read the paper every day to learn English, which he continued to do so up into is final day. He worked in the family butcher shop as a young man and also found work as a Dying Machine Tender at Kramer & King. He quickly was promoted to an elevated position.
On February 6, 1951 he was drafted into the United States Army. He received training as a “Crawler and Wheel Tractor Operator” in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Due to his employment experience he was first placed into the position of Quarter Master and soon after was promoted to a Sergeant. He was deployed to Osan Korea, where they built the first and largest military plane landing strip which is still in operation today. Jerry was honorably discharged from the Army on February 21, 1953 and received the Korean Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the United Nations Service Medal for his service.
After returning home, Jerry’s military heavy equipment training became his lifetime career. He loved his job and was extremely appreciative of the skills he learned while with the Army. He felt strongly indebted to the Army for shaping his future and life. When he returned home he secured a job at DKF. Jerry would meet his future wife, M. Edith “Tootie” Wicky through his connection with her father and a close friend through employment. He was a talented dancer and loved to dance. This lead to an introduction to Tootie, the love of his life at a local dance club. He proposed and they married at Saint Paul’s Catholic Church in Prospect Park on June 30, 1956. They honeymooned in Niagara Falls, New York and enjoyed a devoted marriage of fifty-one years before her passing on September 26, 2007.
In 1956, he became employed with his brother-in-law’s company, PT& L Construction in Paramus as a heavy equipment operator for close to 25 years. Later he was employed with J. Fletcher Creamer Company in Hackensack, for about fifteen years before retiring in 1994. Jerry had an unmatched work ethic never missing one day of work and never used an alarm clock.
At the age of thirty-six Jerry would find that his parents had survived the war and were living in Poland. The Russians controlled Poland at this time and travel was difficult at best and the worst case scenario was if you did get in you may not be able to leave. Since his capture at the age of eleven Jerry never saw his parents again and corresponded via letters that were often censored.
Jerry will be lovingly remembered as a Mr. Fix It. He was naturally mechanically inclined and if it broke you brought it to Jerry. If you gave him something to fix he would tinker with it in his basement workshop and with a few spare parts and some choice words he could repair just about anything. He was meticulous and extremely organized. He was particularly focused on his personal appearance as well. His hair had to be combed just so, and he never left the house without dress slacks and a shirt.
In his retired years, he enjoyed watching his favorite sports teams the New York Giants, New York Red Bulls, New Jersey Devils, Brooklyn Nets and old classic movies. Jerry was also passionate about politics and just this past Tuesday his daughter arrived at his home to find he was dressed and ready to go vote. He most loved the time he was able to spend with his children, grandchildren and extended family for holidays, picnics, vacations and other occasions.
Jerry was the devoted father of Jerry Busko and his wife Kathy of Windham, NH, Susan Bennett of Butler, and Lori Lindstrom and her husband Howard of Wayne; he was the foster-brother of Christina Galino of Ojai, CA, brother-in-law of Phyllis and Tony Laganella of Ramsey and the cherished grandfather of eight grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers memorial donations to the Hudson Valley Honor Flight -click on blue text to donate or mail donations to: Hudson Valley Honor Flight Attn: Donations, PO Box 375, Walden, NY 12586. Jerry participated in an honor extended to Veteran’s to be flown to and tour memorials in Washington DC, through the Hudson Valley Honor Flight in early 2017. Memorial donations in his honor would be greatly appreciated.
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