William O'Brien Bassett

William O'Brien Bassett died October 24, 2013, surrounded by family, most noticeably those representing his favorite gender - women. He was born on May 13, 1930, to Alton John Bassett and Elizabeth Marie O'Brien in Portland, Oregon – a place he loved so much he never wanted to go on vacation. Bill graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1948, and the University of Oregon in 1953, where he was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He joined the United States Marine Corp. in 1954. In that same year, he married Barbara Hawkins. Together they had five children; Shelby, Lisa, Mark, Darcy and Bryn Marie, who died in infancy. Bill received his JD from Lewis & Clark College in 1968 and enjoyed practicing law until his retirement in 2008. In 1973, he married Carolyn Jean Flink, who passed away in 1997, leaving Bill a stepdaughter, MK Menard. He married Betty Kehoe in 1999, who cared for him with fierce devotion and love until the end. In addition to his children, Bill is survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Dottie and Ron Daniels, brother, John Patrick Bassett, 3 sons-in-law, as well as 7 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren, all of whom he adored. He was predeceased by his sister, Barbara, and brother, Michael. He loved laughter, sports, music and the presence of good company. We got the best of Billy in the end as he faced his short illness with dignity, heart and, of course, wicked humor. Go Ducks. Funeral Mass: Wednesday, October 30th, after 11:00 a.m. Rosary, at St. Agatha Catholic Church, Portland OR. Service Information