Barbara Ann Busch

CHARLESTON, IL –Barbara Ann Busch, 81, of Charleston, Illinois passed away Sunday, March 27, 2022, at Odd Fellow Rebekah Home in Mattoon, Illinois. Funeral mass will be held Thursday, March 31, 2022, at 11:00 AM at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Charleston, Illinois with Father Braden Maher officiating. Visitation will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 PM, Wednesday, March 30, 2022, at Adams Funeral Chapel. Rosary will follow at 6:30 PM. Memorials in her honor may be made to St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church or the EIU Foundation-EIU Housing and left at the visitation/service or mailed to Adams Funeral Chapel, 2330 Shawnee Drive, Charleston, IL  61920.

Barbara was born on October 19, 1940, in Brunswick, New Jersey the daughter of Adolph and Barbara (Ott) Busch. She is survived by several cousins and was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Roger Adolph Busch.

At the age of 13 she moved from Stelton, New Jersey in Middlesex County to Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey in Monmouth County.

She attended schools in Atlantic Highlands and graduated high school in 1958. She attended and graduated from Douglass College in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1962, with a Bachelor of Arts in History. Douglass College at that time was an autonomous Women’s College related to Rutgers University. She went on to receive a Graduate Assistantship in the Department of Residential Life under Dr. Elizabeth Greenleaf at Indiana University. She graduated in 1964 with a Master of Science in Education – Student Personnel.

Barbara was hired by Eastern Illinois University in 1964. She was assigned by Dr. Elizabeth Lawson as one of the two Residence Hall Counselors to open Andrews Hall, which was the first high rise residence hall on campus. The hall housed 450 women and had a resident assistant staff of 16. She worked in Andrews Hall for one year and then was assigned to Weller Hall where she worked for three years. After that she went back to Andrews Hall. She was there until she retired from the University in 1997. By the time she retired, Andrews Hall had one counselor, one graduate assistant, and eight resident assistants.

In 1971 Barbara received an Advanced Certificate -30 hours beyond her Master’s degree- from the University of Illinois in higher Education.

She enjoyed family, friends, reading, art exhibits, and traveling. She had visited most of the Civil War Battlefields in the U.S plus many of our National Parks. With her love for travel she got to travel through Europe, England, France, Italy, and Austria. Two of her most memorable trips were through the Loire Valley of France and a river cruise in Russia from Moscow to St. Petersburg. She also enjoyed the fantastic European trains, especially the trip from Paris to London. Barbara was also able to enjoy trips in 2018 and 2019 to Spain where she made many special memories.

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