Obituary: Oscar Gustus

     Oscar Truman Gustus, 89, of Tucson, Ariz, formerly of Illinois, died Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010, in Tucson.         

    Memorial services were held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 23, at the Cambridge Chapel of Stackhouse-Moore Funeral Services with the Rev. Barbara Rapp officiating.  Graveside inurnment services were at Rosedale Cemetery, Cambridge.  There is no visitation. 

    In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation or the Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Schapville, IL.

    Oscar was born Dec.17, 1920, in Ophiem, the son of Reuel and Florence (Johnson) Gustus.  He was educated in Ophiem and Cambridge schools, as well as at Augustana College in Rock Island. 

    When World War II was declared, he volunteered for the Army Air Corps, serving as an instrument flight instructor.     His marriage to Edith Hulting of Geneseo took place on July 16, 1942.  He spent 35 years as a traffic engineer and president of Bell and Gustus, Inc.

    After retiring in 1980, he and Edith moved to Jo Daviess County, Illinois, where he was a founding member of the Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation, the Illinois Walnut Council, and the Northwest Forestry Association.  They planted over 25,000 trees on their farm and received a 25 year award from the Illinois Tree Farm organization. 

    The couple attended the Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church. 

    Those surviving are his wife, Edith, Tucson; four children, Rolfe (Lia) Gustus of Woodstock,  Ingrid Williams of Tucson, Brand (Donna) Gustus of Mt. Prospect,  Leon (June) Gustus, Palm Harbor, Fla., nine grandchildren, and five great- grandchildren.  Other survivors include two sisters, Gloria Koontz of Buffalo, NY, Beverly Twichell of Redlands, Calif., and a sister-in-law, Martha Gustus of Swansea. 

    His parents, a sister, Lois Horberg, and a brother, Dale Gustus, preceded him in death.