Robert "Bob" Leonard Busch

Robert “Bob” Leonard Busch, age 89, of Mitchell, Nebraska, passed away on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at home surrounded by the land he loved. His funeral service will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Zion Evangelical Church in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, with Pastor Andrew Griess officiating. A luncheon will take place at the church prior to the procession and burial at Mitchell Valley Cemetery in Mitchell. Visitation will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Friday, May 1, 2026, at Reverence Funeral Parlor in Scottsbluff. Memorials may be made in lieu of flowers to Zion Evangelical Church or the Legacy of the Plains Museum. The service will be livestreamed and recorded on Bob’s obituary page, viewable at www.reverencefuneralparlor.com.

Bob was born on April 22, 1937, in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, to Pete Jr. and Lydia (Weideman) Busch. He was a descendant of German-Russian immigrants who settled in the area in the early 1900s. Bob attended grade school at Browns Canyon, graduated from Mitchell High School in 1955, and briefly attended junior college.

He married Audrey Smith on September 15, 1957, and together they welcomed two sons, Robert Jr. and Kendall Lee. Bob married Norma Jean Schnell on August 18, 1978, gaining not only a loving partner but also a son, Jay Johnson. He and Norma shared 47 loving years of marriage.

His roots ran deep in the soil his family had farmed for generations. Farming was central to Bob’s life from an early age; he was driving a tractor by 12 and operating a beet harvester by 16. He continued to run the harvester and work the land until the age of 85, alongside his son, Kendall. Bob was a lifelong Nebraska panhandle farmer who will continue to be known as a respected leader and advocate for agriculture.

Bob spent his life farming sugar beets, corn, and dry edible beans. He often said, “God put me on this earth first of all to worship Him and secondly to work,” a belief that guided every aspect of his life. Bob’s faith led him to serve on the Zion Evangelical Church board at the age of 26. He served faithfully for the rest of his life and was Zion’s church council member president during its 75th and 100th anniversaries.

He was a member and later president of the Nebraska Sugar Beet Growers Association. Bob was a charter board member of Western Sugar Cooperative, formed in 2002, and served until 2006. He was also a longtime advocate for water and agriculture in western Nebraska, organizing the first Agri-Business Water Tour in 1989. Bob served on numerous boards including the American Sugar Beet Growers Association, Nebraska Farm Bureau, Western Nebraska Regional Airport Advisory Board, Platte River Basin-Wide Stakeholders Group, Gering-Ft. Laramie Irrigation District, and the Scottsbluff Chamber of Commerce Agri-Business Committee. He received many agricultural honors including Western Sugar’s Top 10 Sugar Beet Growers and Top Producer awards, but his highest distinction was the Nebraska Farm Bureau’s Silver Eagle Award in 2008.

Survivors include his wife, Norma Busch; sons, Robert (Christi) Busch Jr., Kendall (Trisha) Busch, and Jay (special friend, Ruth) Johnson; brother, Ron (Phyllis) Busch; aunt, Pat Busch; grandchildren, Mariah (J.T. Grainger), Cutler, Colin, and Taylor Busch, Mike (Melissa), and Tony Johnson; great-grandchildren, Afton Webb, Ember Busch, Brayden, Kaylee, Hunter, and Tate Johnson; nephew, Jeff (Mandy) Busch; and niece, Julia Busch.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Pete Busch Jr. and Lydia Mark; daughters-in-law, Tamara Busch and Andrea Johnson; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Bob’s life was a testament to faith, hard work, and stewardship of the land, and his legacy will live on in the fields he tended, the family he loved, and the community he faithfully served.