James "Busty" Tackett

James “Busty” Tackett, age 78 of Kennett Square, PA, died peacefully in his sleep on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at the home of his son and daughter-in-law, James and Marisol Tackett.  He was the husband of Shirley May Tackett, whom he would remain married to for 51 years until her passing in 2017.

Born at the Tackett family home in Kennett Square, PA in 1947, he was the son of the late James “Ed” Tackett, III and the late Esther Tackett.  He was preceded in death by his wife Shirley May Tackett with whom he had one son, James E. Tackett, V and his wife Marisol; three grandchildren: James E. Tackett, VI, Nicole S. Hatcher and Cynthia M. Vazquez; and four greatgrandchildren: Julian, Ivan, Catalina and Jio.  He was preceded in death by two brothers and one sister: Robert Tackett, Larry Tackett and Melissa Tackett-Bowers.  He is survived by two brothers and five sisters: Richard Tackett of Coatesville, PA; William Tackett of Oxford, PA; Alethea Taggart of Newark, DE; Betty Jean Tackett of Linwood, PA; Diane Michael of Linwood, PA; Linda Miller of Nottingham, PA; and Michele Huggins of Oxford, P.A.

Busty was born and raised on the same property in New Garden Twp., Kennett Square, PA.  As a child, he enjoyed tending to the various farm animals on that same property.  He was a graduate of Kennett High School, Class of 1965. He met and fell in love with his wife Shirley May Jones while in High School and married her one year after graduation. Only one more year would pass before they welcomed their only child, a son, James “Jimmy” Tackett. Shortly thereafter, he attended carpentry school while working at Pevar Construction, Co., where he would work as a carpenter for the next 10 years.  After Pevar, he was employed at Hercules, Inc. for the next 20 years as a Chemical Operator until retiring from A. Duie Pyle.  His favorite pastime was working on classic cars.  Many people would come to him for advice on how to fix their own classics. He enjoyed attending drag racing events as well as car shows and swap meets. In his younger days he would even race his beloved 1970 Chevy Nova.  For those of you who may have wondered how Busty received his nickname, his mother gave him the nickname as a child due to the fact that he enjoyed “busting” his toys up to inquisitively figure out how they were built. We have no doubt that led to his joy of working on cars.  Another favorite past time of his was fishing. Up until this past January, he lived the majority of his life on the same property on which he was born, where his parents and siblings lived and where he played as a child.

We would like to thank the many Penn Hospice care advocates who took such excellent care of Busty during the last 6 months of his life. Specifically, Tiara, his aide and Katherine his nurse.  Most importantly, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude and eternal thanks to William (“Billy”) Robinson.  Busty was only able to age in place due to the many years of great care given to him by Billy. 

You are invited to visit with James (Busty’s) family and friends on Sunday, June 7th, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at Kuzo Funeral Home, 250 West State Street, Kennett Square, P.A.  Services will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and the Repass will immediately follow at the home of his son and wife, James and Marisol Tackett.

Arrangements by Kuzo Funeral Home of Kennett Square, PA.