Warren B

 Warren Bush passed away from brain cancer the  end of June 2022. A good man with a kind heart, big smile, and lots of laughter will be remembered by our whole family. He was a board member with Mark and a very good friend. Mark and I had last seen Warren in January at his brother-in-law Tom's funeral. Warren seemed frail and weak, however he said he was doing well and had a clean bill of health. Apparently it changed rapidly and his health failed over the past few months. Mark and I knew nothing until we got the call that he had passed away. August of 2020, Mark and I took a bike trip to Wall Lake where we stopped in to visit Warren and Linda. They took us out for dinner and then returned back at their home where Tom and Diane stopped in. Little did we know that would be the last time we saw Tom, who also died of brain cancer Jan 2022. Warren had been fighting cancer himself for the past few years, had a tumor removed and later had throat cancer and lost most of  his voice. Warren has always had a loud voice and the best laugh. It was sad to hear his voice raspy just above a whisper since 2020. In Wall Lake we sat and visited for a couple hours. We are so thankful for that time we took to see them. Fast forward to June, Warren lost his battle to cancer leaving behind 3 boys and 5 grandchildren. His grandkids were his everything.

We have fond memories with Warren. Mark got to know Warren through his Biodiesel group committee and meetings. They spent many many hours on the road making numerous trips with the 5 Biodiesel members that started it all. Those spent a lot of time together for many years and accomplished so much in the biodiesel industry. Many of the plants were bought out by REG and now the recent take over by Chevron. There are millions of gallons of biodiesel being made because of these 5. Lots of long rides, talks, and laughs were had on their many drives. Mark was by far the youngest of the group, but he looked up to Warren. He was a magistrates judge in his community of Wall Lake. He became a family friend that was  kind and caring to our whole family. He was genuine and took an interest in what we did.

Warren had a love for race horses. He owned several, I think 100. He loved to watch them race, invite others to see them, and host events at Prairie Meadows Race Track. He had his personal table and was well known by most everyone there. We got to go to the races several times to watch his horses run, sit at his special table, and even made it into the winners circle a few times. That was a great experience. I think Warren enjoyed seeing others in the winner's circle with him and his horses more than anything. We would watch the horses come out of the barn with the trainer, walk the circle as the jockey mounted up and watch the race from the ground outside near the finish line. It was entertaining and enjoyable. I really liked being there for it all, but not as much as Warren. He loved the race horses. He was all about the race, the betting, and the strategy. He was always trying to teach me and explain how it all worked. I wasn't really into the betting as much as I just liked to look at a horse and it's build and temperament and then pick out who I thought would win and see how close I was.  Warren wanted everyone to get involved in the betting, even the kids. Jayden remembers him handing her a 100 dollar bill to bet. I know he gave all the kids money to bet each time we went. We got to attend tours of the Prairie Meadows barns and Jockey area with Warren. We went to a race horse farm and Warren took me over to brag on his own horses. He gave each of his grandkids a horse that was named after them. He took the horse races pretty serious.

Warren adored Jayden from the first time he met her as a little girl. He always thought she was exceptional. He loved to visit with her and talk horses. She was alwasy very mature and could carry on conversations with adults easily. When she was older in college and he would talk to Mark, he would always ask, "How's your beautiful daughter?" Warren was pretty neat, he loved people and enjoyed hosting events. He went all out to put on events and parties, yet he lived a very frugal life. His grandkids meant the world to him.  Warren brought them out to our farm a couple times. One time he brought Scott's two boys and one accidentally got locked in the car in his car seat. We let them climb the combine and ride some horses. On one occasion Warren brought Scott's kids to a rodeo in Dayton to watch Jayden and sit on a horse. It was such a muddy mess, but Warren was just excited to give his kids the opportunity to see a rodeo and sit on a horse. 

 

The celebration of life was held in a high end golf course where his son is a member. The food was great, there was a large crowd and the environment was like that of a retirement party without the guest. It was lively with slideshow and lots of stories of remembering, drinking, and laughs. Funerals sure have changed. Each guest was asked to take a bottle of whiskey in memory of Warren. His son Scott is the owner of the Templeton Rye brewery. In the parking lot there was an Iowa Hawkeye van that belonged to Warren, he was a big fan. 

Warren Lee Bush, 74, of Wall Lake, Iowa passed away peacefully at Kavanaugh House in Des Moines on June 9, 2022. Warren was born to Addis (Mike) and Hertha Bush on February 20, 1948, in Windom, Minnesota. He was the middle of 7 children and always commented on how lucky he was to be both the smartest and best looking of them all. In his early years Warren attended primary school in a one-room schoolhouse. According to Warren he was one of the top 3 students…in his class of 3. He traveled to New Jersey for several summers prior to graduating high school and worked on a horse farm belonging to a distant relative. He spoke fondly of that time, and it instilled in him a deep love for horses which he carried into his final days. Warren made a name for himself as a star distance runner at Harris-Lake Park. He was a three-time state champion and earned a scholarship to run at The University of Iowa. Warren was a U of I letterman, an honor of which he was extremely proud. After earning his undergraduate degree in Accounting, Warren attended Arizona State University where he earned his law degree. He practiced law in Iowa for nearly 50 years, mostly as a sole practitioner in Wall Lake. On January 16, 1971, Warren married Linda Louise Schroeder in Odebolt, Iowa. They made their home in Wall Lake and their union produced three sons: Chad, Scott, and Tobin. Warren was an active member of the community serving as a youth football coach, the unofficial city tree-trimmer, City attorney for several years and Sac County Magistrate for 32 years. Warren was a founding member of The Biodiesel Group. Together the members spearheaded the biodiesel production facilities in Wall Lake, Newton, Washington, and Farley. Warren retired from the Western Dubuque Biodiesel board in 2021 and was an active board member for Western Iowa Energy at the time of his passing. In 2005 Warren took his interest in horses to another level by purchasing his first racehorse. He subsequently bought, sold, and bred numerous horses and named a horse after each of his grandchildren. He loved getting pictures in the winner’s circle with friends and family after a victory. Warren and Linda enjoyed attending the Kentucky Derby, visiting horse farms in Lexington, spending time in Hot Springs and meeting new people within the racing community. Warren was a loyal Iowa Hawkeye fan who rarely missed a football game in Kinnick Stadium. He enjoyed working in his garden and took great pride in his green thumb, but his greatest pride and passion was his family. Of all his titles his favorite was Grandpa B. He spent countless hours at flag football, soccer, basketball, baseball, and football games, track meets and music concerts. Warren loved to take all his grandchildren and their friends to Adventureland and never shied away from taking the seat beside them on the SpaceShot or Tornado. He encouraged learning about history and the world around them by asking $1 questions and designed trivia games at family events. The only thing Warren wouldn’t do for his grandkids was pay for water. Warren is survived by his wife Linda of Wall Lake, to whom he was married over 50 years; sons Chad (Angie) of West Des Moines, Scott (Jessica) of Norwalk and Tobin (Stephanie) of Waukee; and five grandchildren - Adrian, Nile, Xavier, Mary and Ellie. Warren lived life to the fullest, loved with all his heart and made sure those around him knew how special they were. He leaves an unfillable void in the lives of those lucky enough to know him. Please join the Bush family in celebrating Warren's life at Glen Oaks Country Club in West Des Moines, Iowa on Friday, June 24, 2022.