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- St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minnesota, 6 Nov 2003
Janet Bassett Dahms
Janet Bassett Dahms passed away peacefully on November 4, 2003, at the age of 83. Janet was born to William and Rosina (Poirer) Bassett in Blue Earth, MN, on Dec. 12, 1919, of paternal French-Canadian Catholic stock. Her cousin Jean Baptiste Bessette I (Rouen, France - 1642) was among the earliest settlers of French Canada in Fort Chambly and Quebec in the mid-1600s, whose descendants later transitioned into Wisconsin and MN shortly after fighting for the British in the War of 1812. A beloved, highly accomplished and remarkably kind woman with a profound passion for art and an impressive curiosity for all of nature. A portraiture and abstract artist, illistrator, short story writer, poetress, satirist, self-trained natural scientist and, above all, a noted teacher of children. Janet had express herself creatively in multiple art and media forms since early childhood. Her college years were spent at Mankato State where she worte for the college paper and majored in education; she also attended the U of MN where she completed her studies in art education. Her remarkable first untutored childhood paintings, which astonished friends and teachers, were done on reverse of oilskin using household paints and pigments, among the most notable being one of the Last Supper done at the age of 12. Her many paintings, drawings and collages were exhibited in various institutions and local MN events and fairs into the early '80s. Listed in Who's Who, U.S. Writers, Editors & Poets. One of her best learning experiences was while teaching in rural school at Winnebago, with 20-plus students at 7 grade levels. She had a natural love of children and later taught in Albert Lea before marriage, as well as afterwards in various schools in St. Paul, where she lived for 54 years. She married dashing Army Air Corps Captain Arthur E. Dahms Jr. of Moose Lake, MN, in 1942 and together they spent seven years in the Air Force. In 1946 she joined him with her then two sons in postwar Germany and took advantage of the rich cultural heritage on the continent and in England for close to three years, ultimately collecting her experiences and observations in her self-illustrated book on life in postwar Europe, now officially placed in the U.S. military archives. She enjoyed constantly being challenged, particularly by art and philosophy, especially her intense interactions with artists and sculptors in Munich, Paris and MN, observing and embracing their styles and techniques. She was noted for her highly sensitized powers of observation, and she approached art in a conceptual manner with the intent of presenting a commentary on her remarkable visual world. Preceded in death by her husband Arthur E. in 1984; and her infant daughter in 1958. She is survived by 7 children, Arthur Stephen (Judith), San Deigo, Robert Denis (Carol Lundstrom), Woodbury, Gregory Scott (Mary Lou), Fargo, Douglas George (Jolayne), Austin, TX, Janine Dahms-Walker (Gregory), St. Could, Nanette Louise Dahms (James Erchul), Eagan, and Susanne Dahms Mercado (Donald), Eagan; 16 grandchildren; 5 great-grandchildren. Teacher, mentor and shepardess to amny. Funeral 10 AM Saturday, November 8 at Willwerscheid Funeral Home, 1167 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, 651-228-1006. Visitation 1 hour before the service. Memorials preferred to the Alzheimer's Association.
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Bassett Family Association Database
1919 - 2003 (83 years)