Mark Allen Buus, 53, of Freeport passed away after a long struggle with kidney disease on August 15, 2022  Born January 22, 1969, in Sioux City, Iowa, he was the son of Allen G. Buus and Judi. L McDonald Buus.

Mark graduated from Freeport High School in 1987 and attended Rock Valley College.

He  served in the Army National Guard from 1986-90.  He then enlisted in the Army and served in Desert Storm as part of the 101 ^st Air Assault. He then did a one-year tour in  South Korea, after which he was sent to Ft. Belvoir, Maryland, where he met his first wife Shirley A Sohn; they married on December 19, 1995 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.  A paratrooper by that time, they went to Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy.  While on a mission in Bosnia his picture was featured nationally via an AP photo.  On returning from Italy he became a Jumpmaster in the 82 ^nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.    Shirley passed away in December of 2001.

On June 21, 2003 he married Sonia Y Havens at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.  They were blessed with two sons—Wyatt & Mark.

During the war on terror he served multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.  During that time he earned one of the nation's highest honors—the Purple Heart.  After his last combat tour in Iraq he was accepted in Drill Sergeant School in Ft. Benning, Georgia, and did a tour of duty as a Drill Sergeant at Fort Knox, Kentucky.  Upon completing his tour as Drill Sergeant he was assigned to Army's First Division at Ft. Riley, Kansas and became part of a training platoon for the Iraqi army.  He retired in 2010 having attained the rank of Sergeant First Class with 20 years of service.  During his time in service he earned many awards and medals, including the Bronze Star.

Mark was a man of many interests and talents.  He was an avid reader, his favorite authors being Stephen King and Robert Parker; he'd read all their books many times.  And he was pleased to be a character in one of Terri Reid's books.  In 7 ^th grade he got in trouble for reading during class.  Of course he shouldn't have been reading in class, but he was reading Hemingway!  At the age of 12!  The last two books that he enjoyed were Van Gogh—the Life and The Smell of War.

He loved the outdoors.  Among his favorite memories were of the times spent at Canyon Camp with his scout troop and especially the trip with them to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.

Although not necessarily a baseball fan, his favorite movie was "The Field of Dreams"--he'd seen it so many times that he probably had it memorized.  He made several trips to the Iowa setting of the movie and made sure that his boys got to see it, too.

Having been a combat soldier, it's no surprise that his favorite television show was MASH.  He probably had all those episodes memorized, too, and was watching it the day he passed away.

Other hobbies included photography and cooking; he made the best roast chicken and risotto.  Most of all, he'd want people to remember him for his (always irreverent) sense of humor.  His quick wit  and positive attitude during his illness was inspiring to his family and friends.

Mark is survived by his wife Sonia, his parents Allen & Judi Buus, his sons Wyatt and Mark, his stepchildren Melaina, Christina & Matthew Mitchell, his brother Eric Buus, his sister Cory (Corey Daggert) Buus, nieces Bailey & Alexandra Daggert and nephews Joshua Daggert and Seth and Ben Buus.

Cremation rites have been accorded.  A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 19, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. at St. John United Church of Christ in Freeport. A celebration of Life will follow at the Freeport Club.

Memorials  may be directed to Canyon Camp BSA, 4856 Townsend Rd., Stockton, IL 61085. Condolences may be shared at www.walkermortuary.com.