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- New York Times, December 23, 2015
Margaret Bassett (Picture included)
1937-2015
Well known as a real estate broker specializing in Manhattan's Upper West Side through the 1980s and 1990s, as well as an accomplished pianist in New York's chamber music circles, Margaret Bassett died on December 6, 2015, comfortably and surrounded by family, at the age of 78 after a very recent diagnosis of aggressive brain cancer.
Margaret was an active member of the Chamber Music Conference at Bennington, Vermont (1993?2002) and for the past 25 years has been a much sought-after pianist in the NY area. An accompanist for violinist Arturo Delmoni (New York City Ballet concertmaster) and cellist Michael Finckel, she played chamber music frequently with such notables as Lucy Lin, Steve Ansel, David Oei, Eriko Sato, Maxine Neuman and award-winning violinist Peter Zazofsky. She often hosted informal musical gatherings at her Upper West Side apartment and her home in Brewster, NY.
Through the 1990s, she played bridge frequently at the Manhattan Bridge Club.
Her successful career in residential real estate began in the mid-1980s. Margaret's reputation for intelligent and honest dealings, along with her warmth, personal sense of responsibility and creative problem-solving abilities, earned her a unique place in a rapidly expanding real estate market. She formed her own company, Margaret Bassett Real Estate (margaretbassett.com), and retired in 2002.
The daughter of two schoolteachers, James Lyle Sisk and Pearl Barnett Sisk, Margaret Ann Sisk was born on August 21, 1937 in Champaign, Illinois. She earned her bachelor's degree in music from the University of Illinois in 1959, and was married the same year to statistician Stephen Webb. They moved to Los Angeles in 1962. The couple had three children and were divorced in 1969.
After moving to Orange County, California, Margaret worked as a music director for dinner and community theatres and toured with John Ford's Comic Opera Theatre. Margaret and singer Ralph Bassett were married in 1971. They formed Orange County Opera, which brought arts education programs created by Margaret into public schools. They had one son.
In 1978, the family moved to New York, where she was worked as an office manager for the Metropolitan Opera National Council then Fran Kaufman of Children's Television Workshop, and was also an accompanist and coach for vocalists. The Bassetts divorced in 1983.
In recent years, Margaret traveled extensively and spent time with family, friends and the many musicians who considered her talents, energies and generous spirit invaluable to their vibrant community: in addition to being an intuitive, gifted musician, she was a strong supporter of the arts and individual artists.
She is survived by her four children (Doug Webb is a jazz saxophonist in Los Angeles, California; Jennie Webb is an LA-based playwright; Tim Webb works as a trombonist and engineer in Portland, Oregon; William Bassett is a biotech software engineer in Davis, California) and six grandchildren, as well as her good friend, violinist John Howell.
A celebration of her life-with music-will be held on February 6, 2016 at the New York Society for Ethical Culture.
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Bassett Family Association Database
- 2015