David Arthur Vanbuskirk

David Arthur Van Buskirk was born late at night December 28, 1960 in Wichita Kansas.
According to his mother Beth Ann Hilt, “He was always a happy little tyke who loved to laugh!” Dave was born the second to J.L. and Beth Ann. Sister Cherie first, then Dave, then Janet and Linda. The young family soon moved to other Kansas towns: Park City, Overland Park then Olathe.
One winter when Dave was a toddler, as he was playing in the yard, a neighbor’s pet crow flew and landed on his little head! He had a hoodie on, but mom was there and afraid the crow might peck his eyes or scratch his face, so she shooed it away. David was a little afraid at first, then saw the bird land in the yard, and he laughed and immediately chased the bird in glee.
Mom tells how little David “pretty much went from crawling to running.” He just ran everywhere he went. He was either holding to the hem of his mother’s skirt as she worked around the house or was zooming about. At Christmas time Mom decorated and put up the tree in the living room. Returning to the kitchen she soon heard a crash. Seeing the shocked look on Dave’s face, she knew the cause and decided to put it out of reach, on top of their console TV. Soon… another crash! Then it was the top of the chest of drawers… perhaps 5 feet tall. Again Dave climbed like a little monkey and the tree again went crash. Beth Ann said to heck with it and put the tree in the yard, at which sister Cherie began to cry. Stuck, she decided to just put it in the bedroom and close the door! Another time she couldn’t find Dave. After searching the whole house she found him in the top of a closet on a shelf. Yes, he was not only a good runner, but a good climber!
Beth Ann says his hair was almost pure white, a “toe-headed little boy.” As He grew, he certainly learned how to push his dad’s buttons. Once when J.L. went to mow the lawn with the push mower, it wouldn’t start. In looking in the gas tank, he found it stuffed full of grass and dirt! Knowing big sis Cherie would know better, and the little sisters were too young to do such a thing, David, also old enough to know better as well, became the prime suspect. Dad began yelling and found the youngster, white hair shining above the trash can in the alley where he was trying to hide. Dave learned a valuable lesson that day… and Mom reports he was “unable to sit down for a week!” after the lesson was taught.
Through the various moves, Dave enjoyed Cub Scouting, Pee Wee baseball and football, and church activities. Once in Olathe High School, he played football, where he played both offense and defense. Preferred defense! His nick name was “Freight Train.” He also enjoyed the youth group at the neighborhood Baptist church. The group travelled Friday evenings to KC and joined the area Youth for Christ activities. This is where Dave learned the fun of being in church groups and to love the Lord. He accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and followed Him in Holy Baptism.
During these years of young adulthood, Dave loved spending summers on his Grandpa and Grandma Van’s acres of cattle grazing and farming. Many of his happiest days were spent working the ranch with his grandpa.
David graduated from Olathe High in 1978, and soon married his high school sweetheart Sherry Griffith. Sadly, the marriage didn’t last. Dave admitted they just were not ready for marriage. That divorce was very hard on Dave. Took him over twenty years to try that again. (“Didn’t want to marry on the rebound!” he was fond of saying.) The blessing that came from this union with Sherry was that their daughter Ashley Rose was born!
During these years Dave worked in a variety of jobs. He drove a truck with his father, J.L., worked in construction building custom homes, drove a fork lift in area warehouses and of course at Grandpa Van’s farm and ranch.
After the divorce, Dave spent many years as an over-the-road truck driver. At one point he decided it was time for a change, and moved to Texas. He began working for Denny and Carol and of course Papa Stout as manager of Smithfield Feed Store in North Richland Hills. Living near the feed store, Dave had some other worldly run-ins with his “landlord” Marguerite!
It was at this time in NRH Dave met his lifetime best buddy Mike Eskew. He bought his horse feed at the feed store, and one day Mike asked if anyone wanted some part time work. Mike had a business power washing area restaurants. Dave went to work for him, and soon they were best friends. Many a night they worked steam cleaning vent-a-hoods, then headed to Mikes house for cold beer and dart throwing. Of course they were supervised in the aforementioned activity by Mike’s wife Alice Allison! The three became almost inseparable.
This is about the time daughter Ashley told her mom she wanted to get to know her dad. So at the age of 12 she began spending summers with her dad in Texas. They formed a strong relationship which lasted even to this day.
Dave often held as many as three jobs at a time. At one point he told the Lord, well, I guess it is time for me to get back into church, and soon began attending St. Andrews Lutheran in Hurst with Mike and Alice. When they transferred their membership to King of Glory in East Ft. Worth, Dave soon followed.
Along about this time he prayed, “Lord, send me a good Godly wife.” In one of his early Sunday’s at KOG, as Dave tells it, he was chatting with several of the men after church services. Visiting with Ross, Roy, Mike and Keith, when he felt a hand on his shoulder and a voice in his ear saying, “Turn around and see your future wife.” When he turned, he saw Carol Pierce, musician and youth leader at the church. In his mind Dave thought, “Aw hell no!!” He didn’t come back to church for several weeks!
When he did, he eventually asked Carol out. They soon had their first date and talked and laughed for hours at Miguelitos. As they began to get to know each other, sharing hopes and dreams, it soon became obvious that pursuing their dreams of travel and adventures would be way more fun together than alone! They were soon deeply in love, then engaged, then married a year later in the presence of their Lord and a whole host of family, friends and a cloud of witnesses. Promising to love, honor and cherish was scary for both, but soon their lives blended and the rough edges of years of independent living smoothed off as the couple grew into a happy family.
Regular visits to both sets of parents, sisters’ homes and to see Kurtis and Ashley, Liam, Lydia and Levi were highlights of the year. The bonds of love grew stronger and stronger. Dave became a Cub Scout pack leader, volunteered with youth activities and was property manager at King of Glory.
Dave’s mom Beth Ann eventually divorced J.L., remarried and is now living with a wonderful man, Jack Hilt, near Fayetteville, Tennessee. Sister Cherie married Lane and is now living in Alberta, Canada. Sis Janet married Rick and is living in Corpus Christi, Texas. Sis Linda lives in Norman, Oklahoma.
The spirit of the entrepreneur flowed in Dave. To pursue his dreams he went to culinary school before beginning his business as caterer with “Kriksub Fine Custom Smoked Meats.” (Kriksub is Buskirk spelled backwards… He would say, “It worked for Oprah, it’ll work for me!”) Unfortunately, he was also working full time at Sam’s Club and the hours of preparation, smoking meats and clean ups, the two jobs almost killed him…literally! When visiting Ashley’s family in Kansas, Dave had an attack of appendicitis, at which point he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
Once that was under control, and on another visit to Kansas, Dave suffered an attack of pancreatitis. The doctor told him he needed to lighten his load, and upon return to Texas, had to sell his smoker, culinary tools and set up for food events. Sadly, we miss his amazing barbecue brisket, smoked turkey and sausage that were famously delicious!
He left Sam’s Club and went full time into his next adventure. This was “Dave’s Western Wear… And More!” where he sold fine Guatemalan palm cowboy hats knives, concealed handgun purses and western jewelry. First, Second and Third Monday Trade Days throughout north Texas as vendors became regular destinations.
When he realized his new bride Carol had a passion for pottery, he encouraged her to set up a shop in the back porch. He was beginning to transition into woodworking in a shop taking shape in the garage of their home on Kelley Court in east Ft. Worth. They soon began “Kelley Court Artisans” and travelled far and wide to peddle their hand crafted wares at area art fairs.
The adventure was about to go to the next level as they were selling the house in Ft. Worth, which they had outgrown, to move to Amarillo to share the golden years with Carol’s mother LaRue. This move would create space for their artistic efforts and a closeness for family once settled in Amarillo.
Unfortunately, this was not to be, as Dave suffered a heart attack which ended this life. As he would surely tell you, he didn’t die, he just changed addresses from Texas to the streets of gold in Heaven and his eternal reward with his Lord and Savior. He passed into his heavenly address Thursday evening, November 15.
There are simply too many special relationships formed during Dave’s life to tell them all how much they meant to him. His new family through marriage, the Pierces, work friends from trade days, AutoZone, arts and craft fairs. Most recently is his home church at Concordia Lutheran in Bedford, Pastor Mark Lasch and the “island of the broken toys.” Those he came to know and love there remain in love and support. So many friends! So much love! (Because as we know, we don’t go to church… we ARE the church!) And there is his Via de Cristo community! Carol and he shared many wonderful weekends enjoying God’s love and His many children who gather in this community. Dave served in the leadership group as well as serving on nine VdC weekends and even rector of weekend #98.
He loved to hunt and fish, shoot competitive archery and darts. He loved the blues. He loved to travel, be with his family, smoke an occasional cigar with the boys and share his heart of manly love in these bull sessions. He loved to experiment and get creative with his whiskers. Each year would be a new look as he grew a beard and designed the chops, ‘stache, or combination thereof. As Dave loved to say, “I’m just a simple man.” Those who knew him know he was great in his genuine goodness. He loved to laugh and joke, pick on those who were the closes to him. In love.
In their almost fifteen years together, all told, Dave and Carol loved their life. Enjoying the kids and grandkids, being creative as caterers, artisans and entrepreneurs, and, as Carol will tell you, these were the happiest years of their lives.