The heart of one of the bravest persons many people in the sports community in Ashtabula County has ever witnessed has been silenced.
SS. John and Paul assistant football coach John Buskirk’s died at approximately 7 p.m. Saturday at his home in Geneva after a four-year battle with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Buskirk had been brought home from the Cleveland Clinic late Friday night to undergo hospice care after doctors there determined his one remaining kidney was malfunctioning and would probably require extensive dialysis.
SJP head football coach Jim Timonere, for whom Buskirk had worked for the past two seasons, provided notice of his friend’s passing at the request of Buskirk’s wife, Jessica, who was in his arms at the end as many family members, friends and the family pets.
“A group of the guys (from the SJP football team) went over with me today to John’s house and watched the highlight tape of his 1991 football season (at St. John) with him,” Timonere said of the 1993 Herald graduate. “He got in one final team picture with the boys.”
Arrangements for Buskirk, who had served as head football coach at his alma mater and Harvey High School, have not been completed at this time. Timonere said he would be supplying more information about Buskirk’s final days and passing on the blog that has been established to keep people posted about developments in his life (http://www.coachjbuzz@blogspot.com).
Buskirk was able to have a huge highlight Thursday night as he was able to watch the victory of new family friend Urban Meyer’s Florida Gators over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game. Meyer wore a bracelet inscribed “BUZZSTRONG #55,” which SJP’s football seniors had suggested as a fundraiser to support the Buskirks, on the sidelines at Thursday’s game.
Meyer had hosted the Buskirks in April, 2008 during Florida’s spring practice. He and Buskirk had conversed periodically in the days leading up to the national championship game as Buskirk’s health continued to deteriorate, including on the way to the game, and again Friday afternoon when the decision had been made for Buskirk to come home for the final time. Gator quarterback Tim Tebow and offensive line coach Steve Addazio had also spoken with Buskirk after the team’s final practice Wednesday.
Buskirk’s had been in Cleveland Clinic virtually from the week of Dec. 8 until Friday. On Tuesday, an infection in his sinuses had forced removal of one eye and a portion of his nose, but, true to his resilient nature, he seemed to have rallied again following that surgery until Friday’s revelations.
Response to word of the wristband fundraiser had been so overwhelming that SJP High School, where they were sold, ran out of them and had placed them on back order.
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JOHN AND JESSICA BUSKIRK
Discussion
John Buskirk’s long, courageous fight ends
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