Mr. Milan Busching, age 71, passed away unexpectedly on April 19th, 2022, at the Carroll County Memorial Hospital in Carrollton, Kentucky. He lived in Switzerland County, Indiana for the past 28 years. Milan decided to be an entomologist when he was seven years old and began collecting insects at his family farm in Iowa. He ultimately amassed a collection of more than 30,000 specimens. He majored in entomology in college and received a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University in 1973 and a master’s from Purdue in 1975. Milan not only collected insects; he loved to rear them. In 1976 he found his dream job; in fact it was a job that he never had dreamed could exist. He was hired to head the World of Insects exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo. He was involved in designing the building and personally constructed many of the exhibits. When the building opened to the public in 1978 he became supervisor to a team of employees, but he continued to do a lot of the daily care for the live insects himself. During his nearly 30 year career at the zoo he traveled extensively for collecting trips, speaking engagements and consulting work. He not only traveled all over the U.S. but also to Central and South America and Asia. After Milan retired from the zoo he devoted his life to farming, bee keeping, and community service. He became a 4-H leader and shared his knowledge with the “Insect Agents” club. Every December he and co-leaders Jenny Slover and Sandra Flynn took their elementary and high school teams to the Career Development competition at Purdue. Their Switzerland County teams and individuals repeatedly achieved first place in the state.

Milan is survived by his wife, Marjorie (Axt) Busching; his son, Ben, his grandson, James Busching and his granddaughter, Raven Frazier, all of Switzerland County; his son, Johnny Loney, his granddaughter, Jayla Loney and his daughter-in-law, Bickie Long all of Minneapolis; his mother, Geraldine (Kellner) Busching, his brother, Lee and his sister-in-law, Glenda Busching all of Bremer County, Iowa; and his sister, Marilyn Triggs of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; also his numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his father, Stanley Busching and his daughter-in-law, Natasha Frazier.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Purdue Entomology Scholarships ℅ Lori Edwards, 901 West States Street, West Lafayette Indiana, Red Wolf Sanctuary in Rising Sun, Indiana or the Cincinnati Zoo. Cards are available online or at the funeral home.