Hello! My name is Diane Rust. My husband and best friend Mike passed away from cancer on June 30, 2024, leaving me and our son Matthew brokenhearted. Mike was my husband for 33 years and was the best father to our son Matthew, a role that brought him his greatest joy in life. Mike was a wonderful guy. He was charismatic, had a great sense of humor, and a winning smile. A hard worker, Mike always threw himself wholeheartedly into his various projects, interests, and things that he cared about. When Matthew was in school he was a member of the Brunswick High School band program. As any band parent knows, high school band programs rely heavily on the support of students’ families. Mike adored his son Matthew and jumped at the opportunity to get involved with the Brunswick High School Marching Blue Devils. Mike was the consummate “band dad.” He chaperoned trips to football games, numerous competitions, a trip to Disney and the Citrus parade. He was a leader of the band’s equipment crew, assisted with props when needed, and was “instrumental” (Haha! See what I did there?) in acquiring the purchase approval of the band’s fancy equipment semi-trailer and customizing it to meet the needs of the Brunswick Marching Blue Devils. From mid-July through mid-November each year, Mike was there to help the band whenever and wherever he was needed, even years after Matthew's graduation. Mike and I spent countless hours watching videos of the band’s performances throughout the years. Although Matthew was our only child, Mike “adopted” hundreds of band students over the years that he volunteered with the Brunswick Marching Blue Devils. He loved those kids as if they were his own (well, not quite, but you know what I mean) and could not have been prouder of them. Only days before Mike’s death, I discussed with him the idea of establishing a “Michael D. Rust Memorial Marching Blue Devils Award” that would be an annual award for a Brunswick band student for whom the band program had a similarly significant impact. With tears in his eyes, Mike indicated to me that he loved the idea. I hope you do too. Matthew and I would have moved forward with this idea on our own, but hope that with your support we can keep Mike’s memory alive by presenting this award for the next 20+ years. Thank you for your consideration.
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