Fred Bush

In his own words, Fred M. Bush, Jr. was a plowboy, a sailor and a lawyer. Others would add leader, public servant, confidante, advisor, patriarch and friend. A member of that Greatest Generation, he served his family, his country, his community with all his heart and talent. After celebrating his 94th birthday with family, including all three sons, he died at home on January 26, 2011 with family and caregivers by his side. He was 94 years and 1 day old. As one son put it, the cause of death was being 94.
Born January 25, 1917 in New Hebron, Mississippi, he was the son of Fred M. Bush, a lawyer, farmer and a State Senator, and Elizabeth Buck Bush, a school teacher. He was baptized Frederick Marshall Bush, Jr. in St. Andrews Episcopal Cathedral but as a boy was known as Fred Marshall, the name he used for his lifetime. He graduated from New Hebron High School; Hinds Junior College; United States Naval Academy; and University of Mississippi School of Law, where he stood number one in his class.
In 1935, Bush received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy, graduated in 1939 and was ordered to sea duty on the USS WEST VIRGINIA where he served one year. Duty in destroyers followed, first on the USS GRIDLEY in 1940 and 1941, operating out of Pearl Harbor. His ship was with Admiral Halsey's task force ferrying fighter planes to Midway. It was scheduled to return to Pearl Harbor on Saturday, December 6, 1941. As fate would have it, a heavy storm delayed their return by one day. At the time the Japanese attacked from the north, his ship was 100 miles south of Pearl Harbor.
Service followed as gunnery officer on the USS KNIGHT in 1942 where combat missions included the landing of General George Patton's troops in Africa and the invasion of Sicily and Italy. He was promoted to Executive Officer in 1943 and made several trips escorting convoys across the Atlantic. He was ordered to the USS MADDOX in the summer of 1944 as Executive Officer, and returned to the Pacific on the MADDOX in 1944 to operate with Admiral Halsey's first carrier task force. In the Okinawa Campaign the ship took a kamikaze. The ship was with Admiral Halsey's task force that lost three destroyers in a typhoon.
In 1945, at the young age of 28, Bush took command of the USS KIDD with its complement of 30 officers and 300 men. He described this wartime assignment as the most responsible, most challenging, most important and most fun job he ever had. He stayed with the KIDD until August 1946.
Shore duty after World War II included two years at the NROTC unit at the University of Mississippi and a brief tour in the Bureau of Naval Personnel. He resigned on November 11, 1948 to attend law school. He remained active in the Naval Reserve for many years, retiring with the rank of Captain.
While a midshipman at Annapolis he had a blind date with the lovely and talented Katie Ruth Field, also from Mississippi. After that first date, he told his roommate that he had met the girl he was going to marry. Long periods of separation caused by sea duty in the Pacific made his task more difficult, but he had met his match and they were married in the Naval Academy Chapel on May 8, 1942. He always said it was the happiest day of his life. They were married for 66 years.
Fred and Katie traveled happily with friends and classmates, including cruises, class reunions, trips to Mexico, Europe and Alaska, and some more rustic outings as floating the Grand Canyon and going to fishing lodges in Montana, Canada and Alaska. Fred usually took one trip a year that was more rugged, on horseback, backpacking or camping. He estimated that he had arranged more than 40 major fishing trips and other outings to Montana, Idaho, Michigan, Missouri, Canada and Alaska with family, classmates, fellow lawyers and assorted friends.
A prominent courtroom lawyer in Mississippi for some 50 years, Fred Bush was a partner in three law firms: Fant and Bush, Holly Springs, Mississippi 1950-60; Mitchell, McNutt, Bush, Lagrone & Sams, Tupelo, Mississippi 1961-89; and Phelps Dunbar, Tupelo, Mississippi from 1989 until his retirement and afterwards maintained an office as of counsel until his death.
His interest and talent for promoting industrial development led to his appointment by the Governor to Director of the Mississippi Agricultural & Industrial Board (the predecessor of the Mississippi Department of Economic Development) from 1960 61. When he resigned to return to the practice of law, the Governor asked him to remain on the executive committee, to which he agreed. Bush continued his interest in economic development, serving on the Executive Committee of the A&I Board for many years and on similar boards devoted to Economic Development, in all serving from 1952 until 1984 under appointments from five Mississippi Governors.
Over the course of his career, he served as President of the Mississippi State Bar, the Lee County Bar Association, the First District Bar, the Mississippi Bar Foundation, the Lamar Order, and the Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association. He was a member of the House of Delegates to the American Bar Association for many years.
Civic activities included Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority; Rotary Club; Boy Scouts; USO; Community Development Foundation; Mississippi Economic Counsel; Naval Reserve and the Republican Party.
He was an active and devoted member of All Saints Episcopal Church for 50 years, serving as vestryman, warden and on numerous committees. In his retirement years he, Katie and his son Carl took a special interest in the church building projects.
Fred Bush has left a priceless gift to his family: in 1999, at the age of 82 while on vacation with friends and Naval Academy classmates, he dictated his thoughts and memories of his life--complete with war stories, memorable lawsuits, child rearing and more, which he published privately for family and friends. It is in this document that he gives his own description of his life. It is entitled Random Recollections of a Plowboy/Sailor/Lawyer. His friends, family and especially his grandchildren would add fly fisherman to this list. When asked to name a favorite time with their grandfather, each grandchild cherished the times he took them fishing.
He is survived by his three sons: Frederick Marshall (Mike) Bush, III of Jackson and New York, Carl Jennings Bush of Jackson, Richard Stewart Bush and wife Arla of Irvine, California; six grandchildren. Frederick Marshall Bush, IV and his wife Yara de Vlieger of New York and Miami, Grant Hansen Bush of Los Angeles, Jason Richard Bush and wife Courtney of Jackson, Lisa Christina Bush and husband Enrique Avila of Calgary Canada, Andrew Jennings Bush and wife Jennifer of Jackson, and Matthew Edward Bush of Atlanta; great grandchildren: Anna Claire Bush, Caroline Elizabeth Bush, Arabella Marguerite Bush and Nina Madeliefje Bush; by his sister, Ann Bush Dale; and by six nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Katie Ruth Bush, by his mother, Elizabeth Buck Bush, by his father, Fred M. Bush, and by his brothers Hamilton C. Bush and Charles B. Bush.
During his later years, he was attended by many loving caregivers: Lisa Aldridge, James Warren, Linda Thompson, Donna Freeman, Mary Elzie, Dorothy Parker, Chiquita Riley, Lorraine Bowers and Carla Johnston.
Asked to summarize his life, one of his sons said: He was born good and just kept getting better.
Funeral services will be at All Saints Episcopal Church, 608 West Jefferson Street, Tupelo, Mississippi, on Monday, January 31, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. with visitation beginning at 1:00 p.m. in the Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to All Saints Episcopal Church or the Byrne-Field Scholarship Fund at the CREATE Foundation in Tupelo.