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- The Laconia Daily Sun, December 8, 2004
Jessie Good Bassett McWhirter, 97
NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. ? Jessie (Goodwin) Bassett McWhirter, formerly of Laconia, died December 1, 2004 in Florida at the age of 97 years and 3 months. She was born in Beachmont, Mass. on September 1, 1907, the first of six children to Eva LeJeune (Young) and Walter L. Goodwin. She leaves her husband, Kenneth McWhirter of Florida; a daughter, Betty-Jeanne (Bassett) Maheux and her husband, Paul L. Maheux of Laconia; one son, Donald F. Bassett and his wife Marie of St. Cloud, Fla.; her only grandson, Gedeon P. Maheux of Greensboro and Colfax, N.C.; a brother, Edwin Goodwin of Holiday, Fla.; and many nieces and nephews. Jessie graduated as an A+ student from Laconia High School in 1925. She took up bookkeeping and hairdressing and worked with Hairdo?s of Marcel in the 1920s and early '30s using hot curling irons. To help support her family she started waitressing at the Lakeport Hotel, the former ?Crystal? in downtown Laconia and the Laconia Tavern with its lavish dining room. When Mr. King opened his new Chinese restaurant on South Main St., Jessie served as the manager for the first year in Mr. King?s absence. Also in the 1940s, Jessie and her late husband, Franklin E. Bassett, worked at Scott & Williams Co in Lakeport. During World War II she was honored and awarded seven times for inventions she created to help speed along the building of needed parts for airplanes and other equipment used in the war effort. She eventually started her own restaurant by purchasing ?Perrys? in Busy Corner Square. Known as ?Jessie?s Restaurant?, she became the first to offer a horseshoe counter in the middle of the floor, surrounded by booths and also offered the first black and white television for her customers to view while dining. Many of her customers were employed at Scott & Williams as well as a number of motorcyclists that were starting to come to the area for the early motorcycle rallies. She also opened another restaurant next-door in the old Normandin Apartment House called ?The Rain Room?, which featured a neon sign with a rainbow on it. She was known for her bubbling smile, and for the restaurant's great food, handsome interior and elegant servings that included finger bowls served with her fried chicken and giant sized onion rings. Jessie lobbied for many hours at the statehouse in Concord over a period of several years for legislation that would allow dining restaurants to sell liquor to patrons. Following the passage of this legislation NH restaurants experienced a boom in business. In 1956, Jessie married Kenneth McWhirter in Florida and operated a restaurant and motel until she retired when she was almost 80 years of age. Never one to stop, she purchased an organ to learn to play pieces of music and at the age of 87, she bought a computer so that she could keep in touch with her grandson. She continued her hobbies and made over 200 dolls, some with real hairpieces, and donated them to the local fire department in Florida to distribute as Christmas gifts for children. She also created her own greeting cards of all sorts and wrote poems to send or sell. Of her, her family writes, ?Jess was a giving person?.
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Bassett Family Association Database
1907 - 2004 (97 years)
, d. 1 Sep 1977, Massachusetts