Charles A Buss

Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Chuck attended the University of Wisconsin, where he received his Bachelor’s and Juris Doctor degrees. During his undergraduate summer breaks, Chuck hitchhiked to Colorado to fight forest fires, and thus began his love for the state. After graduating, he accepted a position in a Denver law firm where he and his wife, Mary (Colvin) Buss, had their first child, Brad.

After working for a large firm for some time, Chuck realized his passion for working in the public sector. He began his public service career with Pueblo County Legal Services and, after discovering Grand Junction, he was selected to help establish the Grand Junction branch of Colorado Rural Legal Services. Here Chuck and Mary’s two daughters, Sarah and Jennifer, were born. He then spent a short time in private practice before being appointed as District Judge by Governor Lamm in 1977. Chuck served on the bench for 28 years, 18 of which as Chief Judge. During his tenure, Chuck was most passionate about improving the juvenile justice system - serving on the Colorado Juvenile Justice Council for over 15 years and playing a key role in securing the funding to create Mesa County Partners in 1977. He carried his dedication for at-risk youth into the courtroom, where at sentencing, he took time to visit with juvenile defendants in a sincere, honest, positive and compassionate way, resulting in many later stating he had played a pivotal role in their lives. He would often visit those same kids at the Youth Corrections facility, talking with them, and entertaining them with his harmonica.

Outside of work and into his retirement, Chuck had many passions and interests: road cycling (including 4 trips biking from pub to pub across Ireland, biking in Mexico, Canada, Iowa’s RAGBRAI, along the Mississippi and the Ohio rivers, the Highway 92 Bicycle Classic, a great majority of Colorado mountain passes, and countless Colorado National Monument rides), mountain biking, photography, wood carving, hiking, mountain climbing, skiing, canoeing, rafting, clogging, and yodeling just to name a few. Aside from his family, though, music was his number one love. Starting with the harmonica, Chuck began jamming and even playing on stage with local blues musicians, or busking the streets of New Orleans while attending judicial conferences. After he retired, he discovered cajun music and began collecting (and playing) Cajun accordions - attending Cajun music camps and traditional Mardi Gras celebrations in and near Mamous, Louisiana. In the years prior to his stroke in 2018, which left him partially paralyzed, Chuck took up the fiddle - taking private lessons and attending fiddle camps in Westcliffe, CO, jamming with his band, the Raggle Taggles, and his granddaughters whenever he could. Even after his stroke, the music continued with Raggle Taggle band members coming together every few weeks to jam.

Chuck is survived by his former wife, Mary; his children, Brad, Sarah, and Jennifer; his grandchildren, Becca, Alyssa, Averi, and Dylan; and his sister, Mary Lynn Buss in Tacoma, Washington.

A Celebration of Life to honor Chuck will occur on February 3, 2024 from 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM at Edgewater Brewery in Grand Junction.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Mesa County Partners, 1169 Colorado Ave., Grand Junction, CO 81501.