On March 17, 2017, Steve collapsed & died suddenly at Station 2 of the Ames, Iowa Fire Department. Not only was he a brother to the department, he was also a husband/father/son/uncle/best friend & a hero to so many others. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of Steve and smile.
I was given the duty and honor of giving Steve’s eulogy during his Memorial Service in Ames. I got to talk about Steve and give people a first person view of his every day activities. During that eulogy, I made a promise to never speak of Steve in the past tense. I am breaking that promise in this letter. I apologize Steve, but I think you’ll understand.
Steve was an avid bicyclist. He’d often ride donning his fire helmet, complete with a face shield and a kilt. He earned the name of the “Bicycling Firefighter” from kids that he’d meet. I, however, called him the Mayor because there wasn’t a soul around that he couldn’t have a heart-to-heart conversation. He was just great. The world would be a better place with more Steve Busers in it.
It is with this sentiment that I humbly request your consideration of a donation to the Steve Buser Memorial Fund. The goal of this fund is to erect a permanent bronze, fat-tire bicycle statue in Steve’s honor. The statue will be erected somewhere on the Ames, Iowa bike trail system. The bike will be complete with a kilt and fire helmet.
If you choose to generously make a donation, here are several ways:
- Mail a check to the Steve Buser Memorial Fund, 2208 55th Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50310.
- Make a payment via PayPal to JustBuserIt@gmail.com
- Make an online donation to www.gofundme.com/the-bicycling-firefighter
Finally, I want to thank you for your time. You never know how much time you have. With that in mind, please do me and Steve a favor……Make It Count each and every day!
Godspeed,
Scott Mills, Organizer & Best Friend