
Connye Casey Busa
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Constance Casey Busa passed away peacefully in her sleep on Monday, July 5, 2021. She was born on October 6, 1935, to James and Fanny Casey in San Benito, Texas, where she attended school and made lifelong friends. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and moved back to the Valley, where she met and married the love of her life, Billy Busa, in 1958. They were soul mates and started a family and a life devoted to each other. She began a long, fulfilling career in education, teaching health and physical fitness; coaching basketball, track, volleyball, and archery; and instructing the dance team. After graduating from Pan American University in Edinburg with a master's degree in education in 1980, she became an assistant principal at San Benito High School and eventually moved to South Padre Island, where she became principal at Garriga Elementary School in Port Isabel. She loved being around kids, building their confidence and inspiring them to learn and be their best. Connye and Billy moved to Austin years later to be near their grandchildren.
Left to cherish her memory are her husband Billy; son Billy Jr. and wife Marla; daughters Connye Jean Busa and Trish McConnico and husband Kit; grandchildren Alice Rose Prosperi and husband Chris, Jack Busa, Amelia McConnico, Vance McConnico, Olivia Simmons and husband Jeff, and James Hall; brother-in-law's wife Trudie Abbott; nieces Patty Compton and husband Mike, Pam Voss and husband Chris, Mary Jornayvez and husband Paul, Sarah Solomon, and Mary Cable and husband Chad; nephews Cole Abbott and wife Allison and Robert Fowler and wife Amy; great-grandchild Henry Simmons, and numerous friends whom she loved so dearly.
Connye is preceded in death by her parents James and Fanny Casey; her sister Patsy Abbott and husband Jim; her in-laws Jack and Mary Busa; her sister-in-law Jane McGill and husband Joe; and her lifelong best friend Pat Davis and husband Dick.
Connye was an amazing woman full of grace and warmth who lifted up others through her countless words of encouragement, her smile, her courage, her thoughtfulness, and her faith. She had a way with people that made them feel special, and she lived life through God's purpose. Not only did she teach and coach hundreds of kids over the years in public schools, but she also used her talents to help others and the community through organizations such as the C.W. Chapter of P.E.O., where she served as president from 1965 to 1966 and from 2002 to 2004, and a committee designated to preserve the sand dunes on South Padre Island. Connye taught Sunday school at First United Methodist Church in Harlingen and was a member of the board of directors and served as president of the board of the Chapel By the Sea in South Padre Island. She loved Billy?they did everything together?and she especially enjoyed spending time with him in Mexico, entertaining with him at the beach, and being with him and their grandchildren. She loved to travel with family and friends, read, eat ice cream, walk on the beach, sing at church, and watch the sun come up over the Gulf of Mexico. She brought light to everything she did. Thank you, dear Lord, for providing us with the opportunity to know and love her. She was a gift from God.
A memorial service is pending. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Chapel By the Sea, PO Box 2478, South Padre Island, Texas, 78597; Tarrytown United Methodist Church Memorial Fund, 2601 Exposition Blvd., Austin, Texas, 78703; or a charity of choice.
