| Notes |
- William Brainard Bassett III had a lover named Amelia Zeppetella. They had one child together. They never married. William then married and then divorced and unknown for which he was excommunicated from the Holy Roman Catholic Church. Eventually, in August, 1938 on an elope, he married Carmel Ann Marion. William and Carmel had to adopt his own son. Carmel worked as an inspector at the Rochester Lithographing Company at the time she adopted her son on 4 Sep 1945.
As a decorated fighter pilot, William Brainard Bassett IV, had the choice of interment or inurnment at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. By his choice, he was cremated and his ashes inurned in the Columbarium there. He was a graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School in Rochester, New York. He completed one year of college at the University of Rochester. During his military reservist training, he worked as a brakeman for the New York Central Railroad in the Charlotte yard where his father was yard master. He was a professional soldier, a career officer/fighter pilot in the United States Air Force, having served in World War II, Korea and Viet Nam. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, as well as numerous other awards.
As a military couple, Bill and Gen traveled the world. After retiring from the United States Air Force in July of 1970, Bill and Gen spent the next 30 years in their own home in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1998, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.
|
Bassett Family Association Database
1927 - 1999 (72 years)