Charles A. Mussen Jr., retired Sweet Home art teacher
Charles A. Mussen Jr., 73, a retired Sweet Home art teacher, died Sunday, June 24, 2007 in his Amherst home.

Mussen

Born in Vallejo, Calif., he attended Buffalo State College and served in the Air National Guard.

He was the first male kindergarten teacher in the Buffalo schools and taught art at Sweet Home Junior High for 26 years, retiring in 1989.

Mr. Mussen was involved with traditional jazz bands for many years. He played for Salt Lake City 5 and 6, Mississippi Mudders, and Lock City Levee Loungers. He led the Queen City Stompers and the I Love Jazz Band.

He was a founding member of the Buffalo Jazz Society and Buffalo Banjo Band and was honored with a lifetime achievement award by the Buffalo Jazz Society in 2006.

Early in his life, he hosted the TNTeeners and Hi Teen talent shows and worked in advertising doing commercials for Tobin's First Prize Hot Dogs. He also was an award-winning artist, with his work featured in numerous jazz publications.

Mr. Mussen is survived by his wife, Bernadette Collins; a daughter, Kelley Kinnaird; two sons, Chip and David; two sisters, Donna Lee Hughes and Judy Schwallie; and five grandchildren.

Services were held Thursday, June 28 in (Tonawanda Chapel) Amigone Funeral Home.