Barbara (Brownsey) Bassett

ITHACA - Barbara Brownsey Bassett passed away from complications of Alzheimer’s disease on January 10th in Ithaca, New York. Born in Raleigh, North Carolina on April 21, 1927, she was devoted to her parents, Helen and Clyde Brownsey. Barbara grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she met and married Army Captain Cortland “Cort” A. Bassett from Athol, Massachusetts, in 1943.  Following WWII, Barbara and Cort lived in Cheshire, Connecticut and Royalston, Massachusetts. Cort was a salesman with Athol’s L. S. Starrett Company. In the 1940s, Barbara and Cort had two children, Cortland Paul and Alan Brownsey. In the 1950s, they had two additional children, David Mark and Melissa Elaine. In the 1960s, they moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where Cort was the Starrett southern sales manager. Barbara was a southern “gentlewoman” with striking beauty and a soft voice. She loved Chattanooga and lived there again after her husband’s death in 1986. Too, she was entranced by New England’s splendor. Barbara enjoyed her Federal period home adjacent to the Royalston common. She liked lake swimming, fishing, and picnicking, as well as visiting shops in Boston. While living in Atlanta through the 1970s, Barbara was an avid reader and student of the Bible. She had a flair for decorating her home and volunteered with the Red Cross and the VA Hospital. Barbara was at the forefront of health food and yoga and continued both as long as she could. As her children can attest, Barbara was a great cook and particularly enjoyed all special occasions. Also a genuine listener, others enjoyed talking with her, because they felt she was sincerely interested. Even as a child, her son Cort knew she was the go-to person for sympathy and getting out of trouble! Barbara and her husband retired in Knoxville, Tennessee. She also lived in Vero Beach, Florida, Chattanooga, and St. Charles, Missouri prior to moving to New York.  Barbara was always dedicated to family in her own special ways She is survived by her three sons, Cortland P. Bassett (Regina Lennox) of Ithaca, New York; Alan B. Bassett of Lexington, Virginia; and D. Mark Bassett (Sophie Shockley) of St. Charles, Missouri, and one daughter, Melissa E. Bassett (Lorimer Fauntleroy) of Hampton, New Hampshire. Also, Barbara is survived by four grandchildren, Michael Bassett, Kerry Bassett Stenke, Alan “Greg” Bassett, and Sarah Bassett Walls, and six great grandchildren. Visitors will be received at Fiske-Murphy & Mack Funeral Home, 110 New Athol Rd., Orange, MA on Monday, January 14th from 3 to 4. A brief service will be held at 4pm.  Graveside services will be held in the spring at Lawrence Brook Cemetery in Royalston, MA. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association to help fight this dreadful disease:  http://www.alz.org/manh/in_my_community_donate.asp For more information or to sign our online guest book please visit www.fiskemurphymack.com. Fiske-Murphy & Mack Funeral Home 110 New Athol Road, Orange is directing arrangements. $(document).ready(function(){ });