David John Busekist

David John Busekist, age 73, of Hammond, La., went to be with the Lord on Sept. 23, 2025. He was born on April 25, 1952, to Melbourne and Kathleen Busekist, in Sidney, Neb., the second of seven children. He moved with his family to Scottsbluff, Neb., in 1966, when his father received a promotion with the Nebraska State Patrol. While in high school he competed on the tennis and swim teams, Acappella Choir, and focused his studies on mathematics and German. After graduating from Scottsbluff Senior High School in 1970, he enrolled at Chadron State College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Education, with emphasis in Mathematics and German, in 1974. One of his favorite recollections was having lunch in the student union with his father, whose patrol uniform attracted the attention of his friends, who always had a few questions for David after lunch. During the summer breaks, he worked with the Nebraska Roads Department, and helped with the harvest on his uncle's farm. He said both experiences were hard, hot work and a good incentive to keep his grades up. While a student at CSC he traveled to New Orleans for a conference, where he met Janet Marie Loupe. They married in 1977 in Hammond. To this union, two sons were born, Kyle and Ryan. Some of his greatest pleasures were watching his sons (and later his grandsons) playing soccer. David's love of soccer eventually led him, in 1986, to working with the Louisiana Soccer Association as a referee and, later, in various leadership positions, including State Referee Administrator, State Director of Instruction, and State Director of Assessment. During his graduate studies at Southeastern Louisiana University, he was a mathematics instructor and, after earning his Masters of Education degree in 1988, continued to serve on the Southeastern mathematics faculty until his retirement in May 2024. Missing his students and colleagues, he returned to teaching in August 2025. David served as Southeastern's Faculty Athletics Representative, working with students, coaches and faculty to support the students in pursuit of both academic and sports success. He had great memories of former students visiting with him at games, long after they had moved from his classroom onto the sports fields. He is survived by his sons Kyle (Adrien) Busekist and their children Lee and Patrick; Ryan Busekist; siblings Linda (Jerry) Lund, Susan (John) Shafer, Janet (Mark) Owen, Becky (Phillip) Gunther, Kathy (Jeff) Thomas, Sarah (Chi) Nguyen; numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, several uncles and aunts, and his grandparents. A funeral mass will be held at a later date.