Sondra Lea Chance Busch

Sondra Lea Chance Busch, lover of family, friends, all God's creatures, art and design, good books, and great restaurants, died in her sleep at home on 9 December 2020 at the age of 77. She grew up on a farm in Frankfort, Kansas, lived for a period in Manhattan, and spent most of her life as a resident and businesswoman in Topeka. She was the daughter of Cecil H. (Steve) and Mina Chance of Frankfort.

Her love of good books and poetry came from her parents and a house full of books and magazines. Living on a farm, she acquired a love of all animals, with the possible exception of a Paint pony she received as a child but with whom she never found agreement as to desired trails. She always rescued baby squirrels, bunnies, birds, minnows from the creek in droughts, and other animals that needed help – a commitment she kept all her life, and one she shared with other family members. She spent much of her youth roaming the woods, falling in the creek with her sister, and gathering treasures of nature. She loved flowers, cultivated or wild, and could create a beautiful bouquet from plants and flowers found in a meadow and typically not even seen by others.

After graduating from Frankfort High School, and in spite of her parents having attended Kansas State University, she attended the rival University of Kansas and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Commercial Art. She had always been the artist in the family, often painting a life-size mural on the huge picture window at Christmas of the Three Kings following the star. All her life she explored different artistic modes – painting, sculpture, weaving, beading, and photography.

She joined WIBW-TV in 1965 as a writer-producer to start her career. The next year as Continuity Director in 1966, she stayed at the station with other colleagues to warn the community as the devastating tornado tore through Topeka and her neighborhood. She worked for several advertising agencies in Topeka and Manhattan, rising to management positions. In 1982 she founded Admark, Inc., an advertising and graphic design firm. It was a bold move for a woman in that era. She searched for and found talented, hardworking, loyal, and innovative employees, many of whom worked with her for many years.

Admark soon made its name in the industry, sweeping the American Advertising Awards (ADDYs) at annual events in Topeka. The clients ranged from the Security Benefit Group, to Carson Home Sales, to Disney, to Briman's Jewelers and many others. She created a nationally recognized technique for photographing diamonds that changed that industry. For Vista Restaurants, Admark created the first children's meal packaging outside of McDonalds, growing it to a program of Children's Meal Packaging with sales nationwide. Over the years the talented staff moved from creating everything by hand, to joining the electronic age and internet website design. Still, there were many elements that remained directly in the hands of talented artists and designers, all of whom she valued.

Admark contributed greatly to the community in which it worked, and to the professional organizations in which it participated. Sondra and other employees volunteered time and talents for organizations such as the Topeka Zoo, Topeka United Way, YWCA, the Ad Club, Women in Communications, Association for Action (related to the Topeka airport), Crime Stoppers, Sales and Marketing Professionals, and other civic and educational organizations. The Professional Advertising Club of Topeka honored her in 1983 with the Silver Medal Award for outstanding contributions to advertising, furthering the industry's standards, creative excellence, and contributions to the community.

Sondra believed that putting the employees first, supporting their talents, furthering their education and showing them kindness would result in quality results. As one of her long-time employees put it, "That's how we won so many awards. It wasn't just the talent, it was the culture." She wasn't one to seek the limelight, but her management style and commitment to employees resulted in many loyal employees who helped to create a legacy of excellence. The Admark Ink newsletter and many years of beautiful monthly calendars, each created by an employee to show individual talent and vision, kept clients informed and showcased the best of artistic efforts.

When she ended her career in advertising, she created a unique retail store in Topeka called Edge of the Meadow. With a nature theme, the store provided various levels of tabletop settings, jewelry, clothing, and interior decor. Most items were handmade by American crafts individuals, thus supporting the artists that wanted to produce their vision of beauty. She loved going to the industry shows in Philadelphia and Chicago to seek out items she believed would enhance the lives of her customers. She also went back to her artistic roots, learning and later teaching the use of Precious Metal Clay (fine silver) to create jewelry and artistic decorations.

She was an excellent cook, with an adventurous approach to new cuisine, new recipes, and food from other cultures. Cooking Thanksgiving dinner with her Mother and sister, and later with her sister and daughter, was always a beloved event – even when peeling fresh chestnuts was hard on the thumbs. She tried to support the new and small restaurants in Topeka.

Cats were an on-going part of her life from the time she was a child. She loved and admired them – her own, and those of other family members. She believed, as Einstein did, that "the only escape from the miseries of life are music and cats." She will be missed by Saki and Sushi.

She had been preparing for Christmas, sending decorating gifts in advance, and calling and texting about how to celebrate in this strange time. She had recently made a careful trip to Kansas City to be with friends and family for a short time. She was always thinking about the future.

Words cannot capture the extent to which she will be missed by her beloved daughter, Dagny Chance of Topeka, her much loved sister Barbara Chance and husband Walter D'Alessio of Philadelphia, her close cousin Vickie Riggs of San Diego, her cherished adopted children Melissa Busch-Resch, Debra Louise and Danny Fockele, other cousins scattered across the country, and a host of friends and former colleagues in Topeka and elsewhere.

A Life Celebration will be held in the spring when possible, when the flowers that she loved so well will be out to greet her.