Marvin H. Buus

marvin h. buus
Marvin Harold Buus, age 88, passed away on Wednesday, April 15, 2020. He was born at home in Lennox, SD on November 28, 1931. He was the first born child to Minnie Dorothea (Schultz) Buus and Harold Alfred Buus. He spent his early childhood in Lennox. In 1937, the family moved to Wahpeton, ND so Harold could get a better paying job. Marv graduated from Wahpeton High School in 1949. That fall, he enrolled at North Dakota State School of Science in Wahpeton where he studied Electrical Engineering. In 1952, he got a draft notice. Marv decided that rather than wait for the draft, he would join the Army. He was initially stationed at Arlington Hall, Virginia, where he learned code-breaking as a cryptologist and signal intercept specialist. His ASA SIGINT unit was moved to Camp Stoneman, California, before deploying to Korea in 1953. He obtained the rank of Corporal while serving with the 501st Communications Reconnaissance Group in Korea. He returned to Arlington Hall in late 1954 and was honorably discharged from active duty in June 1955. After returning to Wahpeton, he served in the Army Reserve until June 1960. He started his career with Northwestern Bell Telephone Company as a telephone lineman in 1955. Marv met his wife, Marlene May Shockman, at a Saint Patrick's Day dance in Breckenridge, MN, in 1956. They were married on June 28, 1959, in Wahpeton. They bought a 50-foot mobile home and set up housekeeping in Carrington, ND. They lived in that trailer for four years, moving to the towns of Carrington, Grafton, Pembina, and Valley City (all in North Dakota) due to phone company transfers. In 1960, their first daughter, Joni, was born. In 1962, their second daughter, Kathy, was born. The family had outgrown their one-bedroom trailer at that point, so they bought their first house in Valley City shortly after Kathy was born. Their son, Jim, was born in 1968. In 1972, Marv was promoted and transferred by the phone company to Fargo, ND. Marv was active in his church. He was on the usher team in Valley City. In Fargo, he served as an usher and on the property committee at St. John Lutheran Church. He was a member of the Valley City Gun Club for ten years. In Fargo, he was a member of the Eagles, VFW, American Legion, Pioneers (phone company retirees), and the Valley Vintage Car Club. Marv had a great love and appreciation for old steam locomotives and steam farm tractors. He would go to the Steam Thresher's Reunion in Rollag, MN, every year, starting in 1962. It was an activity that the whole family enjoyed doing. Marv even owned his own Rock Island steam tractor for a while. He also enjoyed hunting pheasants in western North Dakota. Marv would go with a couple buddies every year throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. His son eventually joined him on a few trips too. Marv loved Mustang cars. He owned a 1969 Mustang Fastback, as well as three other Mustangs. Marv would often show off his Fastback, with great pride, in parades and car shows throughout the region, representing both the Mustang club and individually. Marv was a master craftsman woodworker. It was a hobby that he picked up shortly before he retired from US West in 1990. He started out building small easels and picture frames for Marlene's paintings and progressed to building clocks and big pieces of furniture. Marv also enjoyed the challenge of restoring old furniture by crafting new parts to replace missing and broken pieces. Marv lived in the same house in Fargo for forty-seven and a half years. He moved to the Touchmark senior living community in August of 2019, when he was almost eighty-eight years old. Marv was preceded in death by his wife, Marlene, in 2012. He is survived by his three children, Joni (Jim) Beikler of Fort Collins, CO, Kathy (Bob) Campbell of Fort Collins, CO, and Jim (Cheri) Buus of Fargo; three grandchildren, Elise, Erin and Evan Campbell; his sister Lorraine (Rodger) Campbell of Moorhead, MN; his nephew Tom (Pam) Campbell and niece Linda (Kevin) Goodno.

View current weather.

Memories Timeline

Guestbook

  1. I’m so sorry to hear of Marv’s passing. I was his friend and bartender for about 8 years at the Alibi. He was so kind and friendly. One beautiful summer day we hung out in the parking lot and admired his Mustang. He blushed a little when I told him he must be a chick magnet 🙂

  2. My sympathies to Marv’s family. I enjoyed knowing Marv as part of Valley Vintage Car Club. Sometime last spring or summer I had a fun conversation with him about repairing old phones and switch boards. Maybe it was his love of Mustangs or the way he carried himself but I always thought he was 10 years younger than he really was. My thanks for his service to our country. May God bless his memory.

  3. God Bless you Friend. Marv was my friend for many years our paths crossing in many ways. Whether it was through cars and the Valley Vintage Car Club or in clocks and wood work just between the two of us. Marv’s broad interest in so many things fit in so well with his many, many friends in Fargo and elsewhere. Thanks for being my friend.

  4. Condolences to your family..the Buus’s! I Love you All! My Uncle Marv was truly a good person with a wonderful heart, smile, and aura.
    Love as Always, Teri.

  5. Marv was a great friend and an equally great coworker at NWB. He was a gentleman and a gentle man. I will miss him. Bill Paulson

  6. A very special man, wish we could be there to celebrate your wonderful life. Give Marlene a hug from all of us and we will see you in heaven. Love Shelley and family

  7. l enjoyed Marv not only as a coworker, but more importantly as a friend. He was a gentleman and a gentle man.

  8. I was so sorry to learn of Marv’s death. I knew him because he was good friends with my brother, Myles J. Milner, of Kent, Washington. My brother will miss him very much. Myles also worked for the telephone company… Bell for a while and then with AT&T. Please know that the Milner family sends prayers and sympathy to all of the Buus family.

  9. I certainly remember Marvin and his wife from St. John Lutheran. Always quiet and with a smile. I didn’t know him very well but I know my parents did. Condolences and thoughts are with the family.

  10. To the family of Marv Buus. I enjoyed spending Veterans Day celebrations with Marv and a few other telephone company employees on a regular basis. He was very proud to be a VETERAN and had great stories about his days in service to our Country and those working for Ma Bell.

  11. Dear Joni, Cathy and Jim, so sorry for your loss. I remember your dad and all of you when we visited over the years. He had a great smile and he was a great friend to my dad, Swede Johnson. Sending love to all of you.

  12. We have known Marv for almost 25 years and always thought the world of him. His natural talent with wood working was awesome…so grateful that he shared some of his talent with us…memories that will daily remind us of a great and gifted man…one known and loved by many. We are lifting one to you, my friend!

  13. Sending hugs and prayers to Marv’s family. Our condolences from Myles Milner, daughter Colleen, son Patrick. We had a life long friendship and spent camping trips together, and really enjoyed each other. Your loss is our loss as well. Marv & Marlene were amazing people and will truly be missed.

  14. Marv is my late twin sister Marlene’s husband, so I’ve known him ever since they met. She loved him dearly! Among many kind memories are his love for her. He had great hobbies and interests, especially making wood furniture and clocks (such as my wall clock and my wonderful 6 ft. long bookcase). I’ll always have fond memories of them both. Marlyce

  15. Marv will be dearly missed! What a wonderful, kind, dear man! Our Tuesday night group and other gatherings will never be the same without him. He has been part of our “family”!!!
    Marv…you will be missed and loved…always!

  16. So sorry to hear of Marv’s passing. We will miss seeing him around, and the great conversations about life’s journeys.

  17. Thinking of you at this time,
    Thank you for allowing us to watch the service via the online stream,
    We will miss Marv, an original founding member of the NorthStar Mustangs, and our friend.

    God Bless,
    Todd n Darcy Fuchs

  18. Not sure my first memory was recorded. To make sure. I want to let you know what great memories we have of all of your family. Marv will be missed. He was a special man. Ione Johnson Muralt

  19. Gentle and patient. Kind and considerate. I’ll always appreciate hunting in the ND Badlands with “Marv-elous”. With deepest sympathy and prayers to the Buus family.

  20. We will certainly miss Marv at the Cork! Always such a kind man! Loved his passion for Mustangs! Our thoughts are with his family and friends. Thank you for allowing us to view the service online.

  21. Pam and I were fortunate to be able to view the service today. We were happy to see our cousins Joni, Kathy, and Jim and their spouses on the screen even if we were not able to be there in person. Uncle Marv put a part of himself into all of his woodworking and other projects and he was able to give more of himself through making gifts for the people close to him. The obituary mentioned that he started with making picture frames for Marlene’s paintings and it reminded me of the painting she made of our first lake cabin which to this day is still my favorite painting.

  22. Dave and I knew Marv at St.John Lutheran Church and appreciated his deep, quiet manner. I learned a lot about Marv’s life from his obit.

  23. Marv will be truly – It was a pleasure to know him and to hear the wisdom of his stories and the excitement in his eyes when he talked about and showed his cars. He loved spending time with his circle of friends at the “club” – especially if it was a day with potluck treats and a ball game playing on the TV. Until we meet again.


Sign the Guestbook, Light a Candle

Accessibility Tools
hide