April 26, 2025 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Buss and Fiscus Dable to be inducted into Hall of Fame

John Buss

John Buss was awarded 8 varsity letters over the course of his four years at St. Joseph-Ogden, with two in football, two in basketball, and four in track & field. He was co-captain of both the football and basketball teams during his senior year. 

In football, John received the SJO Outstanding Defensive Back Award his Junior year, as well as the SJO Outstanding Offensive Player and SJO Outstanding Defensive Player during his senior year. He was also named as an All Conference Safety his Junior year. John participated on the Varsity Basketball team and was named the SJO Defensive Player during his senior year. In his final year at St. Joseph-Ogden, John was also named a CoMVP of the Boys Track & Field Team. He served in his senior year as the President of the SJO Student Council. 

After High School, John worked to receive his Electronics Degree from the United Electronics Institute in Louisville, Kentucky. He married his current wife Deanna after graduating, and they lived together in Champaign. John served six months at basic training at Fort Knox in the National Guard, where he completed six years of service. After college, John worked at Radio Doctors in Champaign for 7 years. He then went on to work for Xerox for 36 years and eventually retired in 2015.

John and his wife moved to St. Joseph in 1973, and today they are currently on their 48th year of married. They have two sons, Nathan and Ryan, along with four grandsons, Brady, Tyler, Bastian, and Baron. 

Over the course of his life, John has volunteered many hours to sports. He has been extremely active in coaching at both the youth basketball and youth baseball levels. John also spent 9 years coaching youth football. John extremely enjoyed working with kids and being a part of this growing youth program. Over the course of his volunteer work, John enjoyed watching this organization grow and develop into a winning program. At the high school level, he began assisting with the football program by serving as a spotter for multiple years. John also helped run the clock at home football games for 23 years. He aided the St. Joseph-Ogden High School basketball team by helping keep the scorebook for 23 years.

Congratulations to John Buss on your induction into the SJO Hall of Fame. 

Stephanie Fiscus Dable

Stephanie Fiscus Dable graduated in the St. Joseph-Ogden class of 1990. During her time in high school, she was an Illinoi State Scholar, member of the NHS, and avid addition to the Helenite yearbook team. 

Stephanie was also a 4 year Varsity Letter winner for the SJO Softball Team. She helped her team win the first ever state trophy in softball during her junior year by aiding the team in securing 4th place in the 1989 tournament. During her senior year, Stephanie received a variety of softball accolades, including being named an All Conference Member for her pitching efforts. She also served as the Co-Captain of the softball team over the course of her senior season, and she was named the Most Valuable Player for the SJO team. Stephanie was named the first ever News Gazette All-Area Softball Player of the Year for the 1990 season. 

After high school, Stephanie attended Illinois State University, where she played four years of college softball while working towards her Bachelor’s Degree. Later, she earned her Masters of Public Administration Degree from the University of Illinois at Springfield. Since then, she has worked at the University of Illinois for 22 years. While there, she has served in various prominent positions including as an Analyst, Project Manager, Director, and Senior Director of her department. Currently, she is the Assistant Vice President in the Administrative Information Technology Services Department.

Stephanie moved to Des Moines, Iowa, after college to work for the Principal Financial Group for 3 years, before heading back to St. Joseph to start a family. Currently, she lives in St. Joseph with her husband, Darrell, of 24 years. The two have two children, Brandon and Blake. Brandon is currently 20 and a junior at Illinois State University, while her younger son, Blake, is a senior at St. Joseph-Ogden. 

Today, Stephanie spends her free time walking, shopping, and watching Netflix. She enjoys spending time with her family and watching her boys do what they love, while simultaneously working at her full-time, rewarding career. 

Over the course of her time in St. Joseph, Stephanie has volunteered on various local and community levels. She has served on the board at Prince of Peace Community Early Learning Center, and she has also been on the Church Council at Prince of Peace. Stephanie has coached soccer with the St. Joseph community, and she volunteered on the SJO Post Prom Committee for 5 years. 

Congratulations Stephanie Dable on your induction into the SJO Hall of Fame. 

in People
Banner
Related Posts

How I get it done… Diana Foltz

October 7, 2022

October 7, 2022

We are asking local business leaders how they accomplish goals and run their businesses. We spoke to Diana Foltz, the...

Running for a good cause

March 3, 2021

March 3, 2021

John Lubinski has a sizable commute each day to get from his home in St. Joseph to his place of...

Duitsman Loschen excited to return to SJO

September 27, 2019

September 27, 2019

Kelly Duitsman Loschen is returning to St. Joseph-Ogden High School today. Loschen will be the guest speaker at the Academic...

Bree Trimble Working Out With Siblings and Father

July 7, 2020

July 7, 2020

Like all athletes, Bree Trimble plans on coming back to the Parkland College Cobra women’s basketball team as a bigger,...

Dukeman shines in classroom and in athletics

March 7, 2019

March 7, 2019

School comes easy for St. Joseph-Ogden High School junior Hannah Dukeman. Dukeman, who plays softball for SJO in addition to...

Wagners give back in a variety of ways

May 29, 2020

May 29, 2020

Jim and Jen Wagner like to help people. They have helped people through the pandemic at their business, Wagner Signs...

Dream come true: St. Joseph native earns veterinarian degree from University of Illinois

July 18, 2019

July 18, 2019

Suzanne Ford has always wanted to be a veterinarian. “My mom says I was two years old when I said...

A field of art

October 17, 2019

October 17, 2019

Call it art in progress. The fans at St. Joseph-Ogden High School always take note of the painted field, endzones,...

Employees help co-worker during time of need

February 8, 2021

February 8, 2021

The staff at the St. Joseph Subway wanted to help April Patton. Manager Adam Porter said his co-worker said she...

St. Joseph resident Lewis to star in ‘Frozen Jr.’

September 21, 2019

September 21, 2019

Hayden Lewis loves to act. The St. Joseph Middle School student is participating in the The Champaign Urbana Theatre Company...

Senior spotlight… Emily Bigger

July 26, 2019

July 26, 2019

Every week we ask a St. Joseph-Ogden senior five questions. This week we talked to Emily Bigger. This post is...

SJO community mourns death of Chris Knipfer: ‘He truly had a heart of gold’

November 22, 2019

November 22, 2019

Chris Knipfer always wanted to help. “He would do anything for anyone,” said Jason Retz, the cross-country coach at St....

10 things you don’t know about me… Kathy McCormick

May 13, 2021

May 13, 2021

What is your favorite childhood memory? Playing outside with the neighborhood kids – every summer day until dark. What was...

5 things you don’t know about me… Will Rubach

August 8, 2019

August 8, 2019

Will is in the running for the title of Little Prince! He is six years old. We asked him to...

St. Joseph Automotive looks to pay it forward with coat drive

December 18, 2019

December 18, 2019

Casey Phillips recognized there was a need in St. Joseph and she wanted to do something about it. The co-owner...

Comments
Leave a Reply