Agatha Mary Busta

Agatha Busta age 96 of Little Turkey, IA died Thursday, May 2, 2024, at MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 10, 2024, at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church in Little Turkey with Rev. Nick Radloff celebrating the Mass.

Interment will be held at St. Marys Cemetery, Little Turkey with Chris Gorman, Corey Busta, Ross Busta, Owen Hovey, Elliott Hovey, Brayton Hovey, and Tristen Crabbs serving as pallbearers.

Friends may greet the family from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Thursday, May 9, 2024, at Hugeback – Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory in New Hampton where there will be a 3:30 p.m. Rosary and a 7:00 p.m. scripture service. Visitation continues from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Friday, May 10, 2024, at the funeral home.

Agatha Mary Busta passed away peacefully on May 2, 2024, in New Hampton, IA, at the age of 96. She was born on June 3, 1927, in rural Fayette County, IA. Agatha was the sixth of thirteen children born to John and Magdalena (Mihm) Langreck. Agatha’s life was a testament to the values of hard work, faith, and love.

The early chapters of Agatha’s life were marked by her education at St. Luke’s Catholic School in St. Lucas, where she completed her studies through the 8th grade. Demonstrating a lifelong commitment to learning, Agatha later achieved her G.E.D., setting an inspiring example for all who knew her. It was at a wedding dance, a fateful twist of serendipity, where she met Stanley Busta. A shared dance blossomed into a lifetime partnership, and they were united in marriage on May 24, 1950, at St. Luke’s Catholic Church in St. Lucas. Their loving union gave rise to a family of three children: John, Gerald, and Julie.

In the initial years of their marriage, Agatha dedicated herself wholeheartedly to her family. She was the cornerstone of the household, nurturing her children and supporting Stanley on their farm. Agatha’s partnership with Stanley was so integral that he gifted her a “green tractor” to acknowledge her indispensable role on the farm. Together, they cultivated a life rich in love and labor.

A woman of the earth, Agatha’s hands were rarely idle. She cultivated bountiful vegetable gardens and tended to an array of farm animals, ensuring her family never wanted for homegrown sustenance. Her industrious nature extended beyond the fields and into the kitchen, where she was revered for her culinary prowess. Whether whipping up a feast at Turkey Valley High School or providing comfort as a Nurse’s Aide at Linn Haven, Agatha’s care for others was palpable.

Agatha’s love for the outdoors was as boundless as the skies above her farm. She found joy in the simple pleasures of tending to her apple trees, grapevines, and plum orchards. Her homemade horseradish, canned fruits and vegetables, sauerkraut, and particularly her dandelion and plum wines, were shared generously, embodying her spirit of giving.

Cooking and baking were not mere chores for Agatha but expressions of love. Visitors to her home were enveloped in the warm embrace of her hospitality, always departing with full hearts and fuller stomachs. Her life was a symphony of flavors, each meal a melody of her affection.

Agatha was an excellent seamstress and loved making afghans, pot holders, blankets, and cupboard towels of which she gifted to multiple generations of family and friends. She made many quilts that were gifted for special occasions. 

Agatha’s faith was her compass, guiding her through life’s journey. As an active member of the Rosary Society and a devout attendee of Mass, she wove her spirituality into the fabric of her being. She had a friend who crafted rosaries from the seeds of Job’s Tears plants she grew in her garden, each bead a prayer, each rosary a sacred gift marking life’s milestones.

Those who knew Agatha would speak of her kindness, her unwavering faith, and her generosity. She was a woman who planted seeds of love and nurtured them into a garden of community and kinship. Her legacy will continue to bloom in the lives of those she touched.

Agatha is survived by two sons, John (Rose Qualley) Busta of New Hampton, IA, Gerald (Marla) Busta of Lawler, IA; one daughter, Julie (Gary) Gorman of New Hampton, IA; nine grandchildren, Corey (Amber) Busta, Ross Busta, Jenny (Chris) Hovey, Chris (Whitney) Gorman, Debbie (Brice) Schissel, Emily (Jordan) Oulman, Amy (Mark) Crabbs, Becky (Adam) Scharnhorst, and Jaclyn (Alex) Ryan; twenty-two great-grandchildren, Kira, Blake, Ryleigh, Ashlyn, Owen, Elliott, Brayten, Clay, Lane, Harper, Hudson, Hazel, Crew, Audrey, Tristen, Lauren, Lena, Lettie, Maisie, Anna, Eleanor, and Carter; and two great-great-grandchildren, Azara, and Tricia; one brother, Charles (Mildred) Langreck of West Union, IA; three sisters, Lillian Chipera of New Hampton, IA, Virginia Kuhn of Ft. Atkinson, IA, and Edna Jirak of Lawler, IA. 

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Stanley in 1991; five brothers, Henry (Verda) Langreck, Louis Langreck, Clem (Bernice) Langreck, Francis (Katherine) Langreck, and Jerome (Eileen) Langreck; three sisters, Marie Langreck, Beata (Ray) Schmelzer, and Margaret (Martin) Gossling; six brothers-in-law, Paul Chipera, Julian Kuhn, Lawrence Jirak, Edward (Elizabeth) Busta, William (Viola) Busta, and Leonard Busta.