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<\/a><\/p>\nThe late Georgina Bassett was ordained as an Anglican priest on Sept. 12, 2012. She had been named 2011 Citizen of the Year in Hay River earlier that year. Bassett died of breast cancer on July 8.<\/p>\n
Unknown Source, 28 July 2014
\nAnglican priest mourned in Hay River<\/p>\n
Psalm 23 in the Old Testament comforts Christians by reminding them they are loved as they move forward on life\u2019s path, guided by faith.<\/p>\n
The late Georgina Bassett, the first Anglican Priest of Slavey descent in the Arctic Diocese, selected the Bible passage to be read at her own celebration of life, which was held on July 11, three days after she died at age 58 of breast cancer.<\/p>\n
Also known as The Lord\u2019s Prayer, the words are familiar to members of the congregation of St. Andrew\u2019s Anglican Church in Hay River, where Bassett ministered as priest since her ordination on Sept. 12, 2012.<\/p>\n
Love was the theme that inspired her ministry, according to longtime friend Gail Marshall.<\/p>\n
\u201cLove of the lord. Love of the family. Sharing with your community. Giving of yourself,\u201d Marshall said.<\/p>\n
Love is a beautiful thing, and Bassett honoured that beauty by lavishly decorating the church to inspire parishioners anew each season. Christmas was spectacular.<\/p>\n
She applied her love for others by more practical means by managing the Hay River Thrift Shop, which was always stocked to almost to the ceiling with gently-used and affordable clothes and other inexpensive goods for sale.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2019Love\u2019 to her was a verb, not a noun,\u201d said Bishop David Parsons of Yellowknife. \u201cShe put it into action throughout her life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bassett greeted her community with compassion, gently helping families and individuals navigate life\u2019s anxieties and tragedies with patience and calm.<\/p>\n
Her personality put people at ease, said Marshall.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think a lot of times they were reassured and comforted by her and they were reminded that there is a greater God that will provide for them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Bassett immersed herself in the church about a decade ago, studying as she worked toward her 2009 deaconship, then studied more as she prepared for her priesthood. Throughout her life, inside and outside the church, she dedicated herself to her community.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was a very shy young woman who blossomed into a true humanitarian,\u201d said Marshall. \u201cShe always had a strong sense of community and she volunteered for many, many things. She always had a strong faith and a strong calling from the Lord, ever since she was a little girl, but in the last 10 years she assumed more and more responsibility in the church. For her it was a joyous time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her commitment to her community was recognized by the Hay River Chamber of Commerce in early 2012 when she was named 2011 Citizen of the Year.<\/p>\n
Bassett was co-owner of Bassett Petroleum alongside her husband of four decades, Steve Bassett. She is survived by four sons and four daughters-in-law and seven grandchildren, ranging from age one to 16.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer prime focus was family,\u201d said Parsons. \u201cGeorgina was a dedicated wife and a dedicated mother for her sons and grandmother for her grandchildren.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bassett arranged her celebration of life to be held in the Hay River Pentecostal Church, which is larger than St. Andrew\u2019s. The church\u2019s 400 seats were full for the event, and another 200 people stood in the parking lot out of respect, said Marshall.<\/p>\n
Bassett\u2019s advice to mourners was to move on, she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was because of her faith that she knew she was going onto something greater beyond here and that\u2019s what she would keep reassuring us with. She would tell us, \u2018life is going to go on and it\u2019s going to change, but there is a reason that I am going on.\u2019 There was another task she was needed for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bassett\u2019s loved ones needed that reminder, because a couple of weeks after she died, her second-eldest son, Nicholas Bassett, was scheduled to marry his fiancee Valerie Smith at the Anglican Church in Yellowknife.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2019Don\u2019t change the wedding. Go rejoice. Celebrate!\u2019 That was her big message to us. And we did. We missed her dearly, but we did what she wanted. \u201dLive life to its fullest and remember to give thanks for what we have,\u2019\u201d said Marshall.<\/p>\n
Nicholas and Valerie were married on July 18.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Georgina Bassett was married to Steve Bassett of Hay River. I do not yet know his Bassett line. The late Georgina Bassett was ordained as an Anglican priest on Sept. 12, 2012. She had been named 2011 Citizen of the … Continue reading