Marsha Rusbasan, 70, passed away peacefully on April 21, 2018. Marsha was a beautiful, loving Wife and Mother, enjoyed what God offered to the fullest. She cut and arranged garden flowers by the bucket, and her sunroom is still crowded with a variety of ferns she especially loved. The pets over the years included mice, hamsters, a small captured snake, and a nasty 16-pound cat named Peanuts that kept the garden free from all types of rodents for over a decade. Three large exotic birds, remodeled the sunroom, along with up to three dogs at a time, mostly rescue, that worked at remodeling the rest of the house. She loved them all, especially Jackie, a border collie, who now is lost without her. She was a founding member of Saint Maria Goretti Church, a Christian formation teacher, and a Eucharistic Minister. As a Cub Scout den mother and a Girl Scout leader, who came from a family of four girls, Marsha was astonished, putting it kindly, at the "insane energy" levels of young boys. Ceramic classes, hundreds of decorating magazines, along with decorating classes, made for a beautiful home and Antique Shop she owned for over 19 years inside the Old Courthouse in Crown Point. She prepared fascinating historical vacations with planned stops and "unplanned" hotel stays. God's investment in Marsha paid back big time. She is survived by sisters Dorothy and Margaret and her husband of 49 years, Bob; her son Bob Jr. and his wife Bethany and their children Aleksandra, Trey (Robert III), and Gabriella; her daughter Maureen and her husband, David Scheeringa, who now protects Maureen and her children, Isabella and Emily McCoy; and her youngest beloved child Laura. She is joining her sister Mary already in Heaven along with her parents Alice and Wallace. Visitation will take place on Wednesday, April 25, 2018 from 3:00-7:00 p.m., with a prayer service at 6:30 p.m. at RENDINA FUNERAL HOME, 5100 Cleveland Street, Gary, IN 46408. A funeral mass will be celebrated at 10:00am on Thursday, April 26, 2018 at St. Maria Goretti Church, 500 Northgate Drive, Dyer, IN 46311. Interment at Calumet Park Cemetery, 2305 W. 73rd Ave., Merrillville, IN.

Published in The Times on Apr. 24, 2018