Mary Elizabeth Bassett descends from #2B Thomas Bassett of Virginia as follows:
Thomas Bassett (b. 1716) and wife Mary
William Bassett (b. 1643)
Thomas Bassett (b. 1668) and wife Elinor
Thomas Bassett (b. 1696) and wife Lydia Howle
Nathaniel Bassett (b. 1721) and wife Mary
Burwell Bassett (b. 1767) and wife Mary Hunter
Alexander Hunter Bassett (b. 1795) and wife Mary Koger
John Henry Bassett (b. 1827) and wife Nancy Jane Spencer
John David Bassett (b. 1866) and wife Pocahontas Hundley
William McKinley Bassett (b. 1896) and wife Lela Gladys Clark
Mary Elizabeth Bassett (b. 1924)
Norris Funeral Services
Mary Elizabeth Bassett Morten
August 10, 1924 – August 21, 2017
Mary Elizabeth Bassett Morten, age 93, died on Monday, August 21, 2017 at home in Bassett, Virginia. She was born on August 10, 1924 in Martinsville, Virginia to William McKinley and Gladys (Clark) Bassett, and was the older of two daughters. She was married to the love of her life, Spencer Wood Morten, Jr., on June 11, 1949 in Bassett, Virginia. She was the mother to four, grandmother to nine, and great-grandmother to three.
Mary Elizabeth’s family and friends knew her to be kind, gentle… and generous. She was a devoted wife and Spencer’s best friend. She was a loving mother, who cherished the company of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren until her end of days. Her friends knew her to be a gracious hostess and a tireless worker during her many volunteer assignments. Above all, she was a proud member of the Bassett family, and committed to honoring the legacies of her ancestors.
Many will remember Mary Elizabeth for her investment of time and treasure to benefit Pocahontas Bassett Baptist Church, where she was married and raised her children. She was especially devoted to the church’s music program: playing piano for the youth choir, hosting Christmas carolers, and gifting the current pipe organ. Certainly, her children remember the hours she practiced the piano at home to perfect whatever she was assigned to play in church.
She will also be remembered for her treasured affiliations. She was a dedicated member of the Colonial Dames of America, and an unwavering patriot of her country. Above all, she loved the institutions where she grew from child to young woman. Mary Elizabeth’s childhood friends knew how much she loved summers at Camp Alleghany. Her children knew how much she loved her four years at Saint Mary’s School in Raleigh, and how proud she was to be a graduate of Hollins University in Virginia. One of her legacies will be the anecdotal history of her camp, boarding school, and college years, which she frequently shared with her children and grandchildren. In her last days, she especially loved to talk about her time at Saint Mary’s.
In 1950, she began a lifelong career as the mother of four, where she re-defined the meaning of hospitality coordinator. She celebrated her children’s friends, who were welcomed to spend weekends at “the mountain,” and even join family vacations. Now adults, many guests still recollect the countless joyful rides in Mary Elizabeth’s station wagon, innumerable “country boy” breakfasts on Saturday mornings, and the carefree atmosphere she fostered at all times.
She was a philanthropist: private education and scholarship were her paramount interests. It began with her commitment of time and energy as the first chairperson of the Carlisle fair in support of Martinsville’s first private school, continued as chairwoman of the Virginia Episcopal School mother’s association, and included service as a trustee of Averett University in Virginia. Her philanthropy primarily supported Saint Mary’s School, Hollins University, and the Bassett Historical Center.
Her husband, Spencer, preceded Mary Elizabeth in death. She is survived by four children; Sarah Fisher, Bill, Spencer and Greg; nine grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. A memorial service is planned for 3:00 in the afternoon of Friday, September 22, 2017, at Pocahontas Bassett Baptist Church, 120 Bassett Heights Road, Bassett, Virginia. The family will greet family and friends in the church’s fellowship hall on Friday from 1:00 pm until the time of service. There will be no graveside service.
The family thanks Drs. Paul Eason, Ben Lewis, and Heidi Klepin for their exceptional medical oversight, the caregivers who helped her live life as fully as possible to her last day, as well as Perry Potter, Ophelia Norman and Flora Dulin for making her days comfortable and easy. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Mary Elizabeth’s name to the Pocahontas Bassett Baptist Church in Bassett, Virginia.
Norris Funeral Services, Inc. and Crematory, Martinsville, VA is serving the Morten family
Bassett Historical Center
Mary Elizabeth Bassett Morten Collection
Mary Elizabeth Bassett Morten is the daughter of the late William McKinley Bassett and Gladys Clark Bassett. She is the wife of Spencer Wood Morten, Jr. and they are still at home near Eltham where she lived prior to her marriage. She is a graduate of St. Mary’s College and Hollins College and her education included furniture manufacturing and business that surrounded her and her family.
Mary Elizabeth grew up with a love of family and community and has always been a guiding influence in the many projects in which she believed. Her support of Pocahontas Bassett Baptist Church which was named in honor of her paternal grandmother, Pocahontas Hundley Bassett (Mrs. J.D. Bassett, Sr.), and her support of many organizations and community projects have been ongoing.
Both her paternal grandmother and her mother were charter members of Bassett Garden Club, a tenacious group of ladies who were determined to see that the Bassett area possessed a library for the community to use. This was in 1949 when store rooms and an empty elementary school were used. In 1955, Mary Elizabeth’s father spearheaded a community drive for funds for Bassett Public Library to be built. In 1988, Mary Elizabeth herself spearheaded a community drive for an addition to Bassett Public Library, the building that now houses the Bassett Historical Center. With both of her parents being on the first Board of Trustees of the Library, Mary Elizabeth and her husband have also both served on the Board. Their son, Spencer III, is now serving on the current Board of the Historical Center.
The Mary Elizabeth Bassett Morten Collection is now housed at the Bassett Historical Center, a collection that deals with 731 families that are based on fifty years of genealogical research. This collection is indexed and is accessible and appreciated by many patrons. We at the Bassett Historical Center thank Mary Elizabeth for her suggestions and expertise over the years, for the benefactor that she has been to the Center, and for her gracious support of our efforts in caring for the Center.