Smart, funny, caring, hard-working.
Travis, otherwise known as Trav to his family and Busse to his friends, was born in California, raised in Wisconsin, and was an avid Green Bay Packers fan. He was a cheerful kid from birth, smiling and spreading good energy everywhere he went. Growing up, he loved watching movies, playing video games, collecting Pokémon cards, and spending time with his friends in any way he could, notably biking, skateboarding, swimming, and sledding. In middle school, he said his goals for the future were, “to go to college and become a sportscaster or sportswriter. I want to have a good job, a family, and live life to the fullest.”
Though Travis disliked school, he worked hard and graduated from high school early in January 2011. He attended Madison College for a short time and held several jobs in Madison before joining S&K Landscaping, a position he truly enjoyed and was considering turning into a career. At 19, Travis broke his wrist, which started his battle with opioid addiction. His mother, Shari, recalls that when Travis was struggling, he was often angry, difficult, and challenging to be around. He wasn’t the kind, caring, funny person whom they knew and loved. His family was in a constant state of anxiety as they watched him struggle with substance use disorder. (SUD.) But through the roller coaster of addiction, they learned a lot about SUD and felt that Trav seemed to grow stronger each time he went to treatment.
In 2015, Travis was doing well in recovery and was able to walk his mother down the aisle at her wedding. It was a day that his family cherishes dearly. It was one of his mother’s happiest days of her life, having her two favorite men by her side. By the time he was 24, Travis was working at a job he was excited about, and it seemed to everyone around him that he was on a positive trajectory. Even at his lowest moments, Travis had an incredible ability to light up a room with his laugh and an uncanny ability to make everyone feel like they were his best friend. He gave people hope that better days were ahead.
Not only was Travis loved by his family, but he was also beloved by his friends. “Travis was a great friend with an enormous heart. He was understanding, caring, loyal, and loving. He made people feel comfortable and was always willing to listen to someone’s problems and help them find a solution. Travis was brave, outgoing, witty, and loved to make people laugh. If he wanted to have a good time, he ensured everyone was going to have a great time as well. He always knew how to make you smile.”
After Travis’s passing, many people remarked about how much he helped them on their own journeys. Shari says that Travis’s spirit continues to guide her as she works to raise awareness of SUD. She believes that more lives could be saved if people understood the disease of addiction, had access to life-saving resources like opioid reversal drugs, and worked to break the stigma around addiction. Shari serves as the parent ambassador on the board of directors for Start Healing Now and promotes the installation of overdose aid kits in Wisconsin. She says that more than anything she misses Travis’s laugh, smile, and sense of humor, and that at the end of it all she is so very blessed to be his mom.
Travis’ mother, Shari Klessig, provided the information for this narrative.
March 5, 1993-October 14, 2017-Age 24
Portrait Artist: Jeremy Hebbel
Narrative Writer: Victoria Estes
