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- Alaska Dispatch News, December 10, 2015
David E. Bassett (1963 ? 2015) (Picture included)
David Edward Bassett, 52, died suddenly on Dec. 6, 2015, in Anchorage, Alaska, due to a presumed pulmonary embolism. David was born on March 21, 1963, in Hancock, Mich., to Fidelia and Garen Bassett. The family moved to Florida, where David attended Merritt Island High School, playing trumpet in the award winning marching band and excelling in ROTC. His congressional appointment to West Point was the first of many challenges and adventures that would punctuate his charmed and honorable life. Upon graduation from West Point in 1985, David was commissioned in the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant in the aviation branch and attended flight school. He was first assigned to Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Ga., where he flew UH-1 Huey helicopters. In Savannah, he met the love of his life, Robin, at a bar, where David sent her a rose. Robin was going to hide in the bathroom, but he was already standing behind her. David proposed in a horse-drawn carriage on Valentine's Day, and his sworn bachelorhood ended on Dec. 29, 1990, with a fairy tale wedding. The new couple drove the Alcan Highway to Alaska, where they fell in love with the state. Before long, David was sent overseas to Korea, where he flew the OV-1 Mohawk. He was promoted to the rank of Major while there. He served as a systems analyst in Bethesda, Md. Their precious Savannah Noel was born in Maryland. Next, while instructing at Embry-Riddle in Florida, he literally ran circles around the cadets. It was in Florida where they were blessed with Julia Faith's birth. In 2002, on being transferred to Ft. Richardson, David and Robin flew their homebuilt plane more than 5,000 miles from Daytona Beach to Alaska, sleeping under the wings and refueling with hand-hauled gasoline. Nine days later, they landed on the lake in the back of what would become their beloved Eagle River home. David spent a year in 2006 in Afghanistan. Three years later, he retired from the U.S. Army as a Lieutenant Colonel. Post-retirement, David worked with the TSA in the Canine Explosives Detection Unit, a job he truly loved. David was a skilled boat captain, a CFI and avid hunter/fisherman. A man of integrity and principle, David was an active member of UMCC. He truly had a wonderful and full life, bringing love and joy to everyone he met. He was a devoted family man and the truest of friends and he will be deeply missed. David is survived by his wife, Robin; his children, Savannah Noel and Julia Faith; his parents; his sister, Tina Bassett; and his cousin, Jennifer Carroll. A memorial celebration of life will be held on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015, at 2 p.m., at UMC Chugiak. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Midnight Sun Service Dogs: http://midnightsunservicedogs.com/donate/. "And when our work is done, our course on earth is run, may it be said 'Well done', Be thou at peace." Arrangements are with Janssen's Eagle River Funeral Home.
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Bassett Family Association Database
1963 - 2015 (52 years)