robert busby
Imagine there's no heaven
it's easy if you try
no hell below us
above us only sky
imagine all the people
living for today . . .
To everyone who was able to make it to the vigil, to everyone who sent their love and thoughts, to everyone who knows and loves Robert, thank you.
There is a service planned at Lansing Community College's Dart Auditorium on March 6, 2007 (though times and a fixed date have not been named yet). I will keep you posted.
At the vigil about 250 friends, family and supporters attended; a copy of John Lennon's Imagine was distributed and sung.
Police: Suspect in Busby slaying killed himself
55-year-old handyman who lived in building owned by victim identified as likely killerBy Kevin Grasha, Lansing State Journal
About 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, along a dark, rural Clinton County road, police heard a gunshot from a pickup they'd been following in the search for a suspect in Robert Busby's slaying.
Minutes later, two more flashes of light came from the cab of the parked 1999 Chevrolet Silverado, registered to the prominent Old Town businessman.
The driver, a 55-year-old man authorities say killed Busby, was dead.
"We do believe we have the killer of Mr. Busby," Lansing Police Chief Mark Alley said Wednesday at a news conference attended by about a dozen of Busby's friends.
Alley did not identify a motive or the name of the man, who killed himself along Shepardsville Road near Ovid.
The man worked for Busby, 60, Alley said, referring to him as a "handyman."
Friends of Busby said the man lived in the basement of a building Busby owned near Creole Gallery, a popular venue for live music, theater, poetry readings and visual art.
Busby had been reported missing; a detective found his body Tuesday afternoon in the basement of the gallery, Alley said.
A cause of death has not been released, but Alley said Busby's body was covered in debris, as if someone was trying to hide it. It's unclear when Busby was killed, police said.
Ingham County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Dean Sienko on Wednesday said a cause of death had not yet been determined.
About 250 pay tribute
In a statement made Wednesday evening, Busby's daughter, Ena, and his girlfriend, Meegan Holland, said, "The overwhelming support and love we've experienced the last couple days is a testament to Robert's kind spirit. His heartbeat was Old Town.
"In the past couple years, he was thrilled by all the entrepreneurs who opened businesses here. He would want to see the neighborhood continue to thrive."
About 250 people gathered in the twilight Wednesday for a candlelight vigil in front of Creole Gallery. The sidewalk in front of the door was strewn with red rose petals, bouquets of flowers leaned against the gallery doors and tiny votive lights flickered in plastic cups.
In the street, Busby's relatives, friends and admirers clutched dripping candles, hugged, cried and talked in hushed tones.
Damita Zweiback of Lansing stood near the gallery door, huddled with friends. She met Busby through his longtime friend, Suellen Hozman.
"We've attended lots of events here and of course, see Robert around town," she said. "I came to support his family … and to remember him."
Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, who met with Busby's family Tuesday night, called Busby a kind and trusting man who reached out to many people.
"Maybe this one time, he trusted too much," Bernero said. "But that's the person he was - generous and kind to a fault."
Summer Schriner, owner of Grace, a women's apparel store in Old Town, was one of Busby's many friends.
"I think we all just feel very drained right now because the loss is just right now incomprehensible," she said.