My first Funeral Gig

Last week I took a call from a lady who’s father passed away recently and inquired if we would be able to play the funeral. She was very sincere and told me of the legendary status of her beloved father. As she was telling me who he was, it slowly dawned on me that this man is a larger than life, ultimately famous fellow. His name was Walter Bush Jr. He brought the NHL to Minnesota and was instrumental in bringing Hockey to countless kids across this state in their youth programs and beyond. He was the owner of the Minnesota Northstars! Here is the Wikipedia page about him:

Walter Bush

Walter Lewis Bush, Jr. (September 25, 1929 – September 22, 2016) was an American ice hockey administrator. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In 1955, he helped start the Central Hockey League, which turned into one of the few successful minor professional hockey leagues of that era. He was also instrumental in bringing National Hockey League hockey to his home state with the Minnesota North Stars as a minority owner. As the president of USA Hockey for nearly two decades, he was instrumental in the efforts which brought women’s hockey into the Olympic program in 1998. He assumed in June 2003 the position of USA Hockey’s chairman of the board, a position he was still holding in May 2009.

From 1996 to 2001, he was the owner and chairman of the board of the American Hockey League’s Kentucky Thoroughblades.

He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1980 and later inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000. He was awarded the Olympic Order in 2002, and was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2009.

He was portrayed in the 2004 Disney film Miracle by Sean McCann. Bush died on September 22, 2016 at the age of 86.

This man has affected so many Minnesotans and others around the world! The speakers at his funeral gave further insight into the character of Walter Bush. I wish I could have known him. The daughter who contacted me about playing the funeral told me her father was a huge Johnny Cash fan and would have loved to hear the Church of Cash play the music of the man in black. I have a feeling he did hear it…..

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *