Blog 110 Dick Brusenhan

Sadly, here is another report of the death of one of our classmates. It feels as if the clock is ticking faster as we are still marching uphill in our eighties.

I first knew Dick and the Brusenhan family from Travis Park Methodist Church and kindergarten Sunday School class. Sadly, I did not know Dick well. Those of you with good memories might share some of them with us on here. In our yearbook, Dick listed activities as National Honor Society (President), Student Council (Parliamentarian), and Senate.

I am aware that Dick, Bobby Tate, and Jack Davis were very close, dating back to first grade and that they shared a special bond. Sadly, all three have passed on in recent months.

Dick’s death follows very soon after his brother, Harry, who was married to our classmate Laura Moore Brusenhan.

DR. J. “DICK” RICHARD BRUSENHAN
November 16, 1936 May 12, 2020

Dr. J. Richard Brusenhan (Dick) passed away the evening of May 12, 2020 at home in the care of his family. Dick was born November 16, 1936 in San Antonio, Texas to Robert (Bruce) and Alice Brusenhan. He attended Jefferson High School, graduated from Rice university in Houston, Texas and went on to earn a medical degree from Baylor Medical School in Houston.

After medical school, Dick spent three years as an Air Force Flight Surgeon in Germany before returning to complete his residency at Baylor specializing in OB/Gyn. He moved to Colorado Springs in 1969 where he practiced until his retirement in 1999. Dick was dedicated to his work, and not only gave his patients the best care possible, but also was recognized as a leader and served in positions where his experience, education, and passion for excellence in the practice of medicine impacted many medical providers and institutions. At Memorial Hospital he served as Chief OB/Gyn from 1978-1979 and as Chief of Staff in 1984. He belonged to the El Paso County Medical Society serving on the Board of Directors, Colorado Medical Society where he served on the Board of Directors and as President 1987-1988, Colorado Foundation for Medical Care, Colorado OB/Gyn Society and was Fellow of American College of OB/Gyn. He served as President and Chairman of the Memorial Medical Group from 1986-1998, Memorial Medical Network and Physician’s Health Network as Vice Chairman from 1986-1998. He served his community as an active member of the Sertoma Club, and was a long time member of the Colorado Springs Country Club.

Richard and his wife, Marilyn, were married in 1996. They were avid skiers, cyclists, golfers, travelers and had many adventures. They enjoyed attending and supporting the Colorado Springs Symphony. Dick loved football and loved to share football with others, especially his son Bruce. He always brought family and friends with him to the Denver Bronco home games, attending nearly all of them from 1974-2017. If the game was out of town, family and friends joined him at home to cheer their team on. He climbed 25 of the 14ers in Colorado and enjoyed many years of hunting with his son, Bruce and friends. Dick and Bruce always looked forward to the annual Brusenhan men’s hunting weekend at his brother Harry’s ranch in Texas. He and Marilyn enjoyed sharing their mountain home in Frisco for many years and the many memorable times with family and friends.

Dick was loved dearly and is missed by his wife, Marilyn, son, Bruce (Jerilynn) Brusenhan, and step-children Jan (Tom) Muzik, Jon (Kim) Nordby, Mark (Trish) Nordby, Jamey (Candace) Nordby. He has eight grandchildren and three great grandchildren by marriage, and many beloved nephews and nieces. He is also survived by his two sisters-in-law, Lollie Brusenhan and Laura Brusenhan. He was preceded in death by his parents and his two brothers, Robert and Harry Brusenhan, an infant daughter Katharine, and stepson Joseph Nordby.

The family is so grateful for the help and loving care Dick received from Home Care Assistance – the leadership and all the amazing caregivers truly helped Dick and the family through this difficult period. We are also grateful to Pikes Peak Hospice and their help in getting Dick home to be with family and for teaching us how to care for someone we loved so much. We will celebrate Dick’s life together on a date still to be determined.

Dick would be honored by gifts to any of the following scholarship funds or charities:
Baylor College of Medicine BCM Fund (PO 4976 Houston TX, 77210, Rice University Annual Fund (PO Box 1892, Houston TX, 77251), Trails and Open Space Coalition (702 E Boulder St Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80903), or a charity of your choice.

Other Information

Joyce Skolnik Meyer
has written about Joy Weir Stamm. She has been in touch with Joy over the years and has recently had mail returned and phone disconnected. If anyone has news of Joy, please pass it along. Sadly, obituaries are going out of style, making it more difficult to track people, as an obituary is one sure way to make an appearance on the Internet. The Social Security Administration posts a death notice on line, but only after three years have passed. That limitation is intended to slow unscrupulous people from preying on those in their early days of grieving.