Marcus Levi Bush's Obituary
Marcus Levi Bush - Mak?a Was?e ("Earth Paint"- Lakota meaning)
May 18, 1977 - July 10, 2025
With quiet strength, quick wit, and an artist's eye for beauty in everyday moments, Marcus Levi Bush touched countless lives before passing away on July 10, 2025, at the age of 48.
Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Marcus moved to Oklahoma with his family when he was two and spent an energetic childhood in Rogers County, playing soccer and basketball with his brothers and neighborhood friends. He graduated from Cascia Hall Preparatory School and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts from Oklahoma State University in 2003. While at OSU he patrolled midfield for the Club Soccer team, befriended his beloved Australian sheepdog, Artemis, forged friendships that would span decades, and honed his culinary skills in the bustling kitchen of Eskimo Joe's.
Marcus met Shannon Pierce in 2013 through mutual friends. Their easy friendship quickly blossomed into love, building a partnership rooted in curiosity, creativity, and adventure. Together they built a home that overflowed with warmth, creativity, and wagging tails, sharing their home with their beloved dogs, Margot and Lainey, and their ever-curious cat, O'Malley.
Marcus built a dedicated career as a dispatcher with the Tulsa Police Department, calmly and expertly coordinating calls and emergency responses while ensuring seamless communication and vital support for officers and the community.
Art in all its forms animated Marcus's days. Guided by his grandmother, Shirley, he mastered Bunka, a delicate Japanese silk-needle embroidery, and later immersed himself in ceramics at a renowned pottery school in Asheville, North Carolina, and studying under mentor David Porter. His graceful pots, mugs, and raku pieces brimmed with the same warmth he offered others. Equally intrigued by living art, Marcus nurtured miniature forests as president of his local Bonsai Club, patiently coaxing tiny trees into quiet grandeur.
Last year Marcus and Shannon traveled to Japan, sharing laughter with his brother, Travis and sister-in-law, Olivia, cheering at sumo bouts, learning from master potters, and sampling exotic food and small-batch whiskies-each new experience another story for the scrapbook he never quite finished.
Marcus's legacy of kindness, craftsmanship, and curiosity lives on in those who survive him: his devoted wife, Shannon Pierce Bush; his parents, Stephen and Linda Bush; his brothers, Wes Bush (Tasha) and Travis Bush (Olivia); his nephews, Cierdan, Dashiell, and Brennan; and niece, Nora. Many extended relatives, friends, fellow artists, and teammates will also hold his memory close.
A celebration of Marcus's life will be 11:00am Tuesday, July 15, 2025 at Trinity Episcopal Church, Tulsa. Friends are invited to share stories, photographs, or a favorite piece of pottery in his honor. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to a local arts education program or the Bonsai Clubs International Scholarship Fund, continuing Marcus's passion for nurturing creativity and growth.
"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time."-Thomas Merton
Marcus helped each of us do both. May his gentle spirit keep encouraging us to look closely, work patiently, and love generously.
What’s your fondest memory of Marcus?
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