Benjamin Arnold Busby Jr.

Benjamin Arnold Busby, Jr., age 71, of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, passed away on Tuesday, September 17, 2019 at James H. Quillen VA Medical Center. Ben was born in Houston, Texas on November 14, 1947 to Benjamin Orville Busby and Philbena (Mattern) Busby. Ben grew up in Houston and while a teenager enjoyed playing guitar in his band “The Fireflies” and spending time with his many friends. He enlisted in the US Army on December 21, 1964 and served in Vietnam with the 1st Military Intelligence Battalion. After being honorably discharged from the Army at Fort Carson, near Colorado Springs, Ben lived in Colorado for many years.

Ben owned a painting business for a time in Colorado, but after an injury he worked in sales until he retired. In retirement, Ben and his wife Dixie spent many wonderful years adventuring with their beloved (and spoiled) dogs Hank and Junior. Ben enjoyed traveling, skiing when he was younger, hiking and camping in the high country of Colorado, and had a passion for music and for restoring classic English cars. Despite life’s difficulties, including a surprise diagnosis with type 1 diabetes in his late 20s, Ben always maintained his sense of humor, curiosity, and openness to what life had to offer. Ben was deeply warmhearted and compassionate, and a friend to all those who knew him. The door to Ben’s heart was always open to his family.

Ben was preceded in death by his parents, his sisters Joyce Borski and Phyllis Scarborough.

Ben is survived by his wife of 24 years Dixie Padon Busby, his children Calgary Landreneaux, Luke Busby, and Mark Busby, his granddaughters Abishai Landreneaux and Corinne Baker-Busby, and his sister Betty Hobgood.

A visitation will be held in Ben's honor on Friday, October 4, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. inside the Chapel of American Heritage Funeral Home, 10710 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas 77038. The Celebration of Life service will commence at 11:15 a.m., after which he will be escorted to the Houston National Cemetery, 10410 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas 77038, where he will be laid to rest with honors. Following the committal ceremony, Ben's family would like to invite his friends and loved ones to a reception held in the Magnolia Room of American Heritage from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., to gather in fellowship and continue sharing stories of the many lives he touched.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions should be made in Ben’s name to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (“JDRF”), whose mission is to find a cure for type 1 diabetes:

www.JDRF.org or by mail to JDRF 26 Broadway, 14th Floor New York, NY 10004

The family of Mr. Busby is in the care of Monte Vista Funeral Home & Memorial Park.