Frederick "Rick" Bush went home to be with the Lord on October 8, 2023. He was 56.  He was born in Georgia on October 20, 1966 and grew up as a military kid. Rick lived in Germany, Pennsylvania, and Texas. He graduated from Belton High School where he enjoyed writing for the school newspaper.  Rick then attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock, where he earned Bachelor's degrees in English and German and a masters degree in Comparative Linguistics. At Tech, Rick enjoyed working as a teaching assistant and an instructor of German classes for two years.  In 1992, Rick moved to Sugar Land and began teaching 12th- grade English at Kempner High School. After three years teaching high school, Rick decided to try his hand in the corporate world and began using his writing skills in the marketing department of T.H. Hill & Associates, an oil and gas services firm. He also spent some time working as a travel agent until the attacks of 9/11 cost so many travel agents their jobs.

Rick had also worked as a corporate trainer. The man simply had teaching in his blood, and after a two-year stint at Channelview High School, he landed a position as an English instructor at the Sugar Land campus of Wharton County Jr. College. Rick served the college students faithfully for nearly 20 years.  In addition to his love of teaching, Rick had caught the writing bug back in high school, and he found an outlet as a writer for the Society for American Baseball Research, SABR.  Rick joined SABR in 2014 and wrote articles for over two dozen books and many articles for SABR's Biography and Games Project websites. Rick's bio on sabr.org lists too many articles to count, but we know he was particularly proud of his stories about hometown heroes, Craig Biggio and Roger Clemens.

Speaking of hometowns, because Rick lived in Germany until he was 10, and because German was actually his first language, he sometimes wondered whether to think of himself as a German or as an American.  In fact, Rick enjoyed dual citizenship.  But a trip to Germany about twenty years ago convinced him, and he came home proudly proclaiming himself not so much a citizen of Germany or the US, but of Texas!  He had realized once and for all, Texas was his home, this side of heaven. No one could compile a better playlist of Texas music than Rick could.

Having often called himself an agnostic, Rick surrendered his life to Christ on June 12, 2001. He served in Evangelism Explosion for a few years sharing the love and hope that is only found in knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  He also studied Biblical Greek so that he could read the Bible in the original language. Rick became a diligent student of the Bible. He had an excellent memory and seemed so knowledgeable about all things. In addition to the Bible and baseball, Rick particularly enjoyed studying history.

One of the many ways Rick would show his love for others was by spending time with them. He enjoyed hunting on Fort Hood (Fort Cavazos) with his dad and brother. One day, his dad, brother and Rick hunted deer early in the morning, then squirrel in the afternoon. His parents cooked squirrel for dinner, then the three men went fishing that evening. They only did that special trifecta once, but the guys and Ingrid all remember that day.

He married Michelle (Gerold) Bush November 19, 2005. Together they have 3 sons: Michael (15), and twins Andrew and Daniel (12).  He was so proud of his kids and all that they were doing in school and their extracurricular activities.  Though he joked that he felt like a taxi driver with all the picking up and dropping off, he was excited about his sons and everything they were learning. He loved watching them grow.  He enjoyed taking the boys to Skeeters games and nurturing their love for all sports. He also took an interest in his sons' spiritual lives and had the honor and privilege of baptizing all three of them.

He was preceded in death by his father, Roland Clinton Bush.  He leaves behind his wife, three sons, his mother, Ingrid (Sulzbach) Bush, brother, Don Bush, and extended family both here in the States and in Germany.

Rick will be greatly missed. He was a wonderful protector and provider.  His shoulders were strong to be a strength for others. His mind was sharp, offering perspective and reason.  His heart was more compassionate and tender than words can tell. We will forever love him.

In lieu of flowers you can make a donation to St. Jude or any other donations