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Dr. Burnis Harvey Bushong
October 12, 1925 ~ May 17, 2020
Dr. Burnis Harvey Bushong, 94, of Marion, went to be with his Lord and Savior at 6:45 p.m. on Sunday, May 17, 2020, at Colonial Oaks Health & Rehabilitation Center in Marion. He was born in Columbus, Ohio, on October 12, 1925, to Donald and Atlanta (Simpkins) Bushong. On June 9, 1946, he married Thelma M. Cline, and she preceded him in death on November 11, 2014, after 68 years of marriage.
Burnis graduated from Chicago Evangelistic Institute in Chicago, and he later graduated from Drake University in 1956 with a Master's Degree in Latin American History. Burnis received an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, in 1977.
Burnis touched many lives as a missionary over the years. He served as a missionary in Mexico, Honduras, and Bolivia from 1946-1966. He went on to work at World Gospel Mission headquarters in Marion, where he served under several titles until his retirement in 1994 as Vice President at Large. Burnis was an adjunct professor at Taylor University as well as an interim president at Vennard College in University Park, Iowa.
Burnis served on various boards in Ohio for the Churches of Christ in Christian Union, the denomination of which he was a member and ordained. He was a very active member of the Rotary Club of Marion, Indiana, and Avon Park, Florida. He also served on the board of directors for the Evangelical Fellowship of Mission Agencies (EFMA) from 1980-1992. He was the executive director of the Christian Holiness Association from 1988-1994. Upon his retirement, in Florida, Burnis was on the board of directors for the Avon Park Holiness Campground from 1994-2012.
Burnis enjoyed watching sports, especially Ohio State football, Cincinnati Reds baseball, and Chicago Cubs baseball. More than anything, Burnis was dedicated to God. He was a great missionary statesman and was the face of World Gospel Mission. He had a great sense of humor and good organizational skills. He was blessed with a long life and will be greatly missed by all whom he leaves to cherish his memory.
He is survived by his daughter, Lois Bushong of Noblesville; sons, David Bushong of Bristol, TN, and Robert (Peg) Bushong of Jonesboro; grandsons, Scott Bushong of Tulsa, OK, Todd Bushong of Marion, Brandon Bushong of Bristol, TN, and Paul Bushong of Bristol, TN; granddaughters, Elizabeth (Jason) Ewer of Jonesboro and Rebecca (Daniel) Swartz of Montpelier, IN; great-granddaughters, Brianna, Ellie, Malainah, and Emma; and great-grandsons, Caleb, Will, Ethan, and Eli.
In addition to his parents and loving wife, Burnis was preceded in death by two brothers, Sumner and Walter Bushong.
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