Wellington Leo Wotring

Wellington Leo “Buss” Wotring
February 18, 1919-January 27, 2014

Wellington Leo Wotring (Buss) was the only child of Ruhl and Aldah Wotring. He grew up on a farm in Ogden Township, Michigan. Despite hard times, Buss had a very happy childhood with loving parents.
Buss met his first wife, Ardis Case, in high school. He took her to a high school football game for their first date. It was free and he didn’t buy her any treats there or afterward. He also didn’t give her a kiss on their first date. Despite not shelling out for their first date, and no kiss, Ardis went out with him again and they finally married in 1937 at the ripe old ages of 18. They bought their first house in Tecumseh, Michigan for $7,000 and within a few years they had two children, Ron and Carol. Buss worked in an auto factory and was also a drill sergeant during WWII. The long-running family joke was that he must have been the nicest drill sergeant ever encountered.
The family lived in Michigan until 1956 when they moved to San Diego for the drier climate for Ardis’ health. Buss said moving here was the best decision he ever made. Their first next door neighbors in California were Mel and Milly Stern. Mel and Milly had 3 daughters at the time-Pam, Kass and Diane (their son, Eric, came later). Ron and Carol used to babysit the girls until the families each moved to different homes.
Buss worked many years for Convair (General Dynamics) building parts for DC10 planes, Atlas Cruise Missiles, the Moon Lander, and the 1st Space Shuttle. Buss and Ardis had many wonderful years together, enjoying their kids, grandkids, friends and lots of road trips together both before and after Buss retired from Convair.
After Ardis passed away in 1997, Milly Stern contacted Buss to express her condolences-her husband, Mel having also passed away. Buss invited Milly out for coffee and this time he paid-but still no first date kiss. They became good friends again and wonderful traveling companions and finally got married in 2002. They continued to travel all over, have terrific adventures and a great life together with their blended family until Buss passed at the age of 94.