Stanley H. "Stan" DeBuse

1931 - 2021

Stanley Harry DeBuse
April 27, 1931 – January 12, 2021
Stanley "Stan" H. DeBuse, age 89, of Oro Valley, Arizona, died Tuesday, January 12, 2021. Stan passed away peacefully in the care of hospice at his residence in the Sonora Care Facility at Splendido in Tucson, Arizona.
Stan was born on April 27, 1931 in Portland, Oregon to Harry Victor and Mary Louise (Gilmore) DeBuse, the eldest of six children.
Stan is survived by his daughters, Dianne (Tom) deJolsvay of Hopkins, MN, Carolyn (Kim Fondrk) DeBuse of Davis, CA, and Janice (Sam) Tavalero of Bellbrook, OH. He was the loving grandfather of Janice, Erin, Michael, Tyler, Nicholas and Abbey, beloved brother of siblings Don, Ray (Judy), Kerry and Marji (Bob), and uncle to four nieces and two nephews. Stan was preceded in death by his son David Wayne DeBuse and his brother Jim (Meredith).
Stan's early years in Portland, Oregon included many varied interests. At the age of 6, he learned to play the violin, a musical skill that continued into adulthood. In high school Stan was selected as first chair in the All Northwest Orchestra, and ran the mile for the Franklin track team. Summer vacations included working in the woods with brother Don, falling trees among other activities, in their father's logging enterprise.
He was active in the Boy Scouts of America, including the Sea Scouts, for many years. Stan often enjoyed mountain climbing with his brothers and friends. So avid were these climbers, they made an annual wintery trek up Mount Hood every New Year's Eve in an attempt to be the first climbers of the incoming year to reach the summit!
Stan graduated in 1949 from Franklin High School in Portland. He went on to study at Oregon State College, where he was a member of the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity. He graduated in 1954 with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. In 1971 he earned an M.S. degree in finance from The Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.
Stan proudly served in the United States Armed Forces. He enlisted with the Naval Reserves in 1949 at the age of 17 and served until 1953 with the Thirteenth Naval District. After graduating from Oregon State, Stan enlisted again and served from 1955 to 1957 in the Army Corps of Engineering. His service in the Philippines included astronomical observations, mapping the stars to determine precise locations. The love for astronomy that developed there continued throughout Stan's life.
Stan was married to Mary Jo Williams from June 25, 1960 until 1986. They were wed in Grants Pass, Oregon and soon thereafter moved to Northeast Ohio. They raised their family in the Cleveland suburbs of Rocky River and Hudson. After moving to Hudson in 1975, the DeBuses became members of the First Congregational Church where Stan served on the Deacon's Board. Stan was also a longtime member of the Kiwanis Club of Hudson. As an aficionado of classical music, Stan held a subscription to and enjoyed concerts presented by the Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall for many years.
Stan's career encompassed both chemical engineering and finance management with Shell Oil Company, B.F. Goodrich Company, and later Geon Corp. He used his skills in finance throughout retirement in a volunteer capacity serving on the Finance Committee at SaddleBrooke, and treasurer of the Residents Association at his Splendido residence.
Stan and Karen Sunman were wed on May 22, 1999. After their island wedding on Kauai, the couple retired to SaddleBrooke, Arizona where they, while together, built a home and enjoyed the beautiful Sonoran Desert and vistas of the Santa Catalina Mountains. After moving to Arizona, Stan enjoyed playing golf, traveling the globe, weekly bridge and poker games and stargazing among many other activities the desert community offered. He was an active member of the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association. When he wasn't observing the stars of the clear desert skies from his own backyard, he traveled all over the state with his computerized telescope to destinations such as the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Kitt Peak, and even had the opportunity to tour and observe the process of an enormous 8.4-m lens being cast at the Richard F. Caris Mirror Laboratory. He continued to enjoy classical music as a member of the SaddleBrooke Symphony Guild and held season tickets to the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.
No funeral services are planned; however Stan's six grandchildren will honor their grandfather's life with a memorial trek on his beloved Mt. Hood in the near future.