Dr. Deidre Susan Busacca died April 19, 2018, in Sioux Falls holding the hands of her daughters and husband and surrounded by friends and family. She was 67 years old. Deidre (pronounced DAY-dra, like the day outside) was born Sept. 14, 1949, in Berkeley, California, to Gloria Shoemaker Gilstrap and Don Gilstrap; she was a force of nature from her first breath.
She grew up in Davis, California, greatly enjoyed singing in choir, and won many art competitions as a child. She received an A.B. in Human Geography from the University of California Davis, a Masters in Geography from the University of Idaho, and a Ph.D. from UC Davis. Her dissertation research documented the uranium mining landscape on the Colorado Plateau. Deidre was a devoted teacher who loved being in the classroom and working with young people; she taught courses in Anthropology and Geography at Dickinson State University, the University of California Davis, and the University of Idaho. She was a geographer’s geographer.
As a researcher she was devoted to learning everything there was to know about any topic with which she was engaged. Deidre insisted that every book she read teach her something worthwhile. She was a vibrant person in constant motion who dove into life with curiosity, drive, and fastidiousness so intense it was impossible for her to enter a space without changing it. She was known for her precise organization and detailed lists.
She worked to integrate herself into the communities she joined and was engaged in the arts wherever she went, bringing richness, quality, light, and color to everything she touched. She was dedicated to historic preservation and successfully nominated the main street of Palouse, Washington to the National Register of Historic Places. She co-founded the Davis Food Co-op and was an avid supporter of co-ops and farmers’ markets everywhere. She contributed to exhibitions at the South Dakota Art Museum and the Brookings Public Library.
These are only some of the numerous ways she stayed involved in her communities throughout her life, giving back to the places she loved. Deidre fell in love with places and cultures with her entire being, and had a keen interest and knowledge of Native American and Indigenous cultures from around the world. She owned the business Tribal Arts Davis specializing in ethnic and tribal art.
She was an inveterate traveler and had been in every region of the United States and on six continents- North America, South America, North Africa, Europe, Asia, and Oceania, with a special love for Greece, Peru, India, and most of all Australia. She was a true citizen of the world and worked tirelessly to share her excitement for travel. She was a Renaissance woman.
She was a cyclist who had ridden multiple “Double Centuries”, a skier, an accomplished gardener and amateur horticulturalist with a particular love for cacti and succulents, and a talented artist who captured accurate details in her drawings of plants and birds. She deeply loved nature and was devoted to the environment.
Deidre was an excellent chef; she collected recipes throughout her life, taught her daughter to bake and cook many dishes, and shared a meal and conversation with her family every night. She was an incredibly resilient woman, who overcame many obstacles in her life, including blindness, without ever losing her sense of joy, whimsy, and sense of play.
She was a loving mother to her step-daughters Blanche Froelich and Margaret (Jason) Remerowski, a totally enthralled grandmother to Ethan and Ella Remerowski, and was excited to meet a third grandchild on the way.
Deidre was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Jeffrey.
She is survived by her husband Peter Froelich, step-daughters Blanche and Maggie, grandchildren Ella and Ethan, sister, Geyne Crispi, and niece, Ella Fernandez. Deidre was a devoted spouse, partner, parent, and above all, best friend.
She will be remembered for the beauty and value she added to the lives of those around her. Donations in her memory can be made to Friends of the Brookings Public Library, the Sierra Club, or Greenpeace. There will be a memorial gathering of her family and friends at a later date. Eidsness Funeral Home assisted the family with arrangements.
