Gussie Marie Davis Busby, 93, passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 9, 2026, in Concord, North Carolina. She was born May 25, 1933, in Augusta, Georgia. Gussie (who preferred her middle name Marie when she relocated to North Carolina) was educated in the public schools of Columbia South Carolina. She was a member of the initial graduating class of C.A. Johnson High School in 1950. After high school she attended and graduated from the Columbia School of Nursing. She married her former husband, Booker Thomas (B.T.) Busby on December 31, 1953, in Columbia.

Gussie Marie relocated and became a registered nurse at Mount Sinai Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. The young couple joined the Saint Mark's United Presbyterian Church of Cleveland. Gussie served as a faithful Elder in the congregation. She was also active in Saint Mark's Women's Association.

Gussie devoted much of her life to caring for others. She worked as a pediatric nurse for many years at Mount Sinai before pursuing advanced training in anesthesia. She graduated in 1969 from the initial nurse anesthetist program at the Cleveland Clinic. She made history by becoming one of the first African American female nurse anesthetists in the state of Ohio. She began her career at the Cleveland Clinic Hospital. She continued her career at various hospitals in the Greater Cleveland area. Her skills eventually brought her to work at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Cleveland.

Gussie Marie later relocated to Fayetteville, North Carolina to care for her mother and aunts following her divorce. She continued her career in anesthesia at the Cape Fear Valley Hospital in Fayetteville. Marie then transferred to the Veterans Administration Hospital of Fayetteville. She retired from the VA and nursing in 1994. After retirement she was very active in the many organizations including the Red Hatters, Lamplighters and NAACP.

Nursing was more than Gussie Marie's profession. Caring for people was a large part of who she was. Over the course of her remarkable career, she took great pride in the fact that she lost only five patients entrusted with her care.

Gussie was preceded in death by her brother, Zack Rice Junior, her grandson, Gregory Marc Busby, II and her former husband, Booker Thomas Busby. She is survived by her sons, The Reverend Doctor Gregory Marc Busby, Senior (Katrena); as well as her younger son, Bryan Todd Busby: Chief Meteorologist at KMBC 9 in Kansas City, Missouri. She is also survived by her granddaughter, Kayla Vernice Busby as well as her "sister" cousin, Dorothy Davis Flanders and a host of other relatives.

Those who knew Gussie Marie will remember not only the pioneering nurse and dedicated professional. They will also recall the mother, grandmother and woman behind those accomplishments—a life defined by perseverance, compassion and devotion to family.