George Calvin Bassett

GEORGE CALVIN BASSETT


GEORGE CALVIN BASSETT, 83, died of cancer on 10 October 2008 in Logan, Utah. He was born on 14 December 1925, in Wellsville, Utah, the son of Royal Clarence Bassett and Jennie Belle Wayman.

Calvin was born and raised in Cache Valley. He served in the Navy during World War II in the South Pacific. Upon discharge, he entered Utah State University and received a commission in the United States Air Force. He married Mabel Lorraine Riggs on 12 February 1951. In 1952, Calvin and Lorraine started their own business – the Cache Valley Roofing Company. Over the years, Calvin designed and built homes, trailer houses and campers which are known for their quality in design and workmanship. And even upon his deathbed, his mind and heart were still in the process of redesigning and remodeling the Logan Rehabilitation Center, where he died.

Calvin was a member of the Hyrum 5thWard and a long time member of the American Legion. Throughout his life, Calvin has been known as a fair and honest man with integrity and honor in his dealings with others. He has given of himself not only to family members, but to neighbors, friends, customers, employees and strangers without ever expecting recognition for his good deeds. He has served as an inspiring example to those around him that accountability for personal actions, commitment to family, hard work, kindness and compassion are the building blocks for a good character. His judgment and advice were respected by those who knew him. He taught his family to be proud of the Bassett heritage and to remember who we were and what we stood for in life.

Over the course of his adult life, he explored various activities, including raising calves in the North Forty (a small patch of grass in the back of their home), building the family cabin in Blacksmith Fork Canyon, traveling to Wendover for a weekend retreat, and growing tomatoes. He loved to read the Big Nickel and once he located a possible trophy, he and Lorraine would drive for miles and spent many hours scouring the northern part of Utah in search of the prize. Once he scoped out a possible treasure, he thrilled to the challenge of making the deal, unless of course, he was overridden by Lorraine once she decided to accept or reject the purchase. His sons would then be called to help him haul the treasure home. Once in his shop, he would gleefully spend the next several weeks rejuvenating what was once an old and useless piece of equipment into a working piece of machinery. Over the course of several years, he found many old tractors, and with the help of his friend, DeVoy Baxter, they would bring them back to life.

Calvin loved to whistle and his exuberant whistling became known throughout the neighborhood as being the loudest and most shrill tunes to ever come out of a persons lip. Some of his favorite whistles included the Mexican Hat Dance and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer during the hottest time of summer.

He enjoyed hunting and camping and taught his family to appreciate nature and the great outdoors. He enjoyed the Bassett families coming together during hunting season and spent memorable times with his sons hunting antelope and grouse in Wyoming. He would graciously lead his own family to a mountain top, and while Lorraine and the small children were talking, laughing and eating around the campfire, he didn’t seem to mind that the deer kept their distance. Calvin loved chocolate covered caramels and cupcakes and enjoyed the fall season and the Thanksgiving holiday. He shivered at the upcoming winters, frowned at anyone who criticized his cat, and despised the mention of the current Washington politician.

He was preceded in death by his parents; one sister, Sarah Muzzenta Joy; and three brothers, Royal Clarence Jr., Warren Pierpont, and Edward Wellington Bassett. He is survived by his wife of fifty-eight years; three children and one daughter-in-law, Teresa, Stanley C. (Sandra), and Craig Bassett; two grandchildren, Amber Lynne and Cody Calvin Bassett; and two brothers, Dee Wayman and Charles John Bassett. Calvin also leaves behind his beloved cat, Squirt, who he adamantly denies was responsible for the torn wallpaper and scratches on the woodwork throughout the house, and who along with the entire family, was near his side through his illness and death.

The family would like to thank the staff members who have cared for Calvin at the Logan Hospital, Logan Rehabilitation Center (and especially Nate, Courtney and Sarah), and to Dr. Michael Stones who has cared for him over the past twenty years.

This planet – this country – and this valley have been enriched through the life of George Calvin Bassett. He has served his God, his country, his community and his family with an embellished style and grace that cannot be learned – but must come from within the heart and the soul of a person. His death will leave a void for all who knew him. But in retrospect, perhaps his legacy could be summarized as saying that if any of us could be one-half the champion that George Calvin Bassett was during his life – we could consider ourselves to be triumphant in our own lives.

Funeral services will be held on 12:00 PM on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at the Allen-Hall Mortuary, 34 East Center Street in Logan. A viewing will be held on Monday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the mortuary and prior to services on Tuesday from 10:30 to 11:30 AM. Interment will be in the Hyrum City Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.allenmortuaries.net