James H. Bustrin Jr.

Bustrin, James H. Jr.
James Harold Bustrin, Jr. passed away Wednesday, January 30, 2013 in Phoenix. In 1884, his family immigrated to the United States from Germany and made their way to what was known then as the Arizona Territory, paving the way for the Bustrin family's designation as a First Family of Arizona. Jim was born in Phoenix February 28, 1925 to James H. Bustrin, Sr. and Gertrude E. Moore Bustrin. He attended Phoenix Junior College but interrupted his education to join the Navy to train as a fighter pilot during WWII. He transferred to the University of Arizona and graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. For thirty-two years he was employed as a mechanical engineer in the aerospace industry working for both Allied Signal and Honeywell International. After retirement, he worked as a computer lab assistant for 10 years at Gateway Community College. An avid outdoorsman, Jim kayaked Puget Sound and the Sea of Cortez, winter camped and cross-country skied Yellowstone National Park, enjoyed a dog sled trip in Maine, and toured Greenland and South Georgia Island (In the Steps of Shackleton) and zip-lined in Costa Rica at age 75. There didn't seem to be anything he couldn't do - from pulling vehicles stuck in axel-deep mud in the backwoods of Arizona during monsoon season, to embracing the world of cyberspace even in his 80's. His enduring passion to modify and improve all things mechanical was well-known among his family and friends. He was known as an "SOB" - Sweet Old Bustrin. Jim is survived by his wife of sixty-one years, Mary Louise; his son, the Rev'd R. Craig Bustrin; his daughter, Janet Bustrin, Ph.D.; a son-in-law, Stephen J. Stubelt; and grandsons, Alexander J. and Harrison M. Friedland. Memorials can be sent to St. Mary's Episcopal Church at 6501 N. 39th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85019.