UPDATE: Triumph turns to heartbreak

Potosi family learns of loss at state track meet

By PAULA BARR
Daily Journal Staff Writer

Potosi High School runner Jacob Swearingen was on top of the world, celebrating his second year in a row as winner of the state high school cross country championship. He had come within 12 seconds of the state record and his time of 15:38 was only one-tenth of a second off the Class 3 state record held by Potosi’s Josh Thebeau in 2006.

The next minute, his joy was deflated with a few words from his friend and fellow cross country team member Nick Niggemann.

“Hey, I heard your house burned down.”

At first, Jacob, 18, did not believe Nick. But as his fellow senior provided more details, Jacob knew he was telling the truth.

“It was as if someone had pulled the rug out from under him,” said Tim Busse, Jacob’s stepdad. “Five minutes after he won the state championship for the second time in a row, Nick’s sister got a call from people down the road.”

Busse also thought the news was a joke, and told the youths it was not funny. He called his home and instead of the answering machine, received a busy signal. A former fire fighter, Busse said he knew that was a sign of a problem. He called a neighbor who told him, “Honey, your house is gone.”

Tim and Leah Busse and Jacob, Timmy Busse, 14, and Tristan Busse, 13, headed home to find that virtually everything but some photos was gone. The younger boys’ football trophies, Tristan’s medals from his first year of cross country, and all the medals Jacob had won since his first race as a Potosi first grader were destroyed.

“We found five or six of my medals, but they were all melted together,” said Jacob. The loss that hurt the most was that of the glass medals he received for winning the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure twice in a row. He ran the first time in honor of his grandmother Roxanne Swearingen and great-grandmother Mary Laramore, both of whom had breast cancer.

The second time, he ran for those women and others who had the disease.

Tim Busse said the fire was electrical in nature, but its cause remains a mystery. They had not left any appliances on when they left at 5 a.m. for the Nov. 8 race in Jefferson City, he added. Firefighters told him that the house was filled with smoke when they arrived, but when they opened the door, the air poured in and created a flash fire.

The family had no insurance.

Lost in the blaze were Leah’s antique furniture and Tim’s antique tools. Timmy lost the collection of rare baseball cards his dad gave him, and Tristan lost his collection of rocks, including an amethyst.

The front part of the house, where the fire started, was an older trailer. The Busses had added on and were planning to eventually remove the trailer section. When the roof collapsed, it broke the main beam of the addition and left the entire structure too unstable to salvage.

Luckily, the family’s three dogs, Joe, Bindi and Bandit, were outside when the fire broke out.

“They told me Joe was trying to get back in, because he thought we were inside,” Tim said of their playful chocolate Labrador retriever. “He was really freaked out.”

On Monday, the three dogs greeted a visitor with tails wagging. Joe brought a kickball for a game of chase. Neighbors are taking care of the dogs while the family is staying in Lesterville.

The community has pulled together to help, even sending some items for the dogs, Tim said.

“People are coming to dig a basement, and churches have promised to help rebuild,” he explained. “Boyer Lumber will keep an account for all the materials we need, and we can pay them back later. It’s a lot better than a mortgage, especially with what is happening with banks right now.”

A fund for the family has been set up at Belgrade State Bank, 306 North Missouri St., Potosi. Fellow students at school have donated change to a collection for the family. People have donated clothing and other personal items, and a couple of bedroom sets for the new house. Others who want to donate furniture or household items or who want to volunteer to help build the house are asked to call 573-637-2664.

Someone from the Komen foundation called the school and said they would try to replace Jacob’s medals, Tim Busse said. Other schools have been contacted to see if they could replace the medals Jacob won at their respective races.

The family wants to build the house quickly, hopefully in a couple of months. Until then, they are staying in Lesterville with Leah’s parents. The boys must leave at 5 a.m. to make the hour or so trip to school to arrive in time for morning practice.

“I just want to get back home,” Timmy said.

Getting back into a normal routine was a little bit difficult, Timmy and Tristan said.

“It felt really crappy that the house burned down,” Timmy said. “It was an awesome day until we were all upset. But all my friends knew what I was going through and they were supportive.”

Tristan said he was devastated by the news. Teachers and other students have supported him, making it easier to get back to normal.

Even Jacob found it difficult. It has been a successful year in which he won six of seven races. Despite being ill, he came in second in the one race he did not win. During district competition in Farmington, he came in first with a course record time of 15:33.

Despite his family’s loss during the race the previous weekend and to prove wrong those who said he couldn’t win, Jacob headed to Indiana on Saturday to compete in the Nike Nationals in Terre Haute.

Tim Busse was surprised at the number of strangers who traveled from Missouri to cheer his son on in Indiana.

“There were people yelling, ‘Go, Squirrel,’ (Jacob’s nickname), and I’d never seen them before,” he said. “I heard that several Missouri schools sent students there to support Jacob.”

Jacob won the individual race there, and will head to Oregon in December to compete in Nike’s high school championship race in the individual division.

Tim and Leah plan to accompany him.

“I’d love to take the other boys, but finances are tight right now,” Tim said.

Jacob said he is grateful for the outpouring from the community on behalf of him and his family.

“I just want people to know,” he said. “I thank them for their support.”

After the Oregon race, Jacob can take a break until spring track. Next year, he will attend Rend Lake College in Illinois on a full scholarship. The college will help him work toward his goal of competing in the Olympics.

“His grandmother told him she’d like to see him in the Olympics some day,” Tim Busse said. “He promised his grandmother he would try to make it. This school sent a runner to Beijing this year, and they will put Jacob on the right track to reach his goal.”

Paula Barr is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-431-2010, ext. 172 or at pbarr@dailyjournalonline.com.

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