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Hickory Daily Record, North Carolina, October 12, 2021
Willie ?W.J.? James Bass Jr.
December 29, 1945 ? October 10, 2021
Willie "W.J." James Bass Jr., 75, of Sherrills Ford, passed away Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021, at Carolina Caring in Sherrills Ford.
He was born Dec. 29, 1945, in Catawba County, to the late Willie James Bass Sr. and Nannie Lee Stevens Bass. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sisters, Kay Jarman, Myrta Sherrill, Revonda Hallman, and Iva Perkins.
Those left to cherish his memory are his wife of 55 years, Frances Huffman Bass of the home; son, Dr. Tracy James Bass of Kansas City, Mo.; daughter, Jennifer Bass Elrod and husband, Phil of Newton; sisters, Patsy Carriker of Monroe and Jean Heafner of Midland; and grandchildren, Arabella Marie Elrod, Joseph "Phillip" Elrod III, and Alexis Victoria Elrod.
A service to celebrate Willie's life will be held Thursday, Oct. 14, at 3 p.m., at Balls Creek Campground in Catawba. The Revs. Raymond Hamrick and Don Farris will officiate. A private burial will follow. Willie's body will lie-in-state from 1 to 2:45 p.m., at Balls Creek Campground, prior to the service. The family will not be present during the lie-in-state. For everyone's health and safety, the family has asked that masks be worn and social distancing practiced. Pallbearers will be the following past members of the Sherrills Ford-Terrell Fire and Rescue, Jerry Long, Mike Lineberger, Steve Howard, Dwayne Helms, George Lutz, and Danny Setzer, along with honorary pallbearers who are current members of the department.
Willie was retired from the furniture industry, where he spent many years at Pem-Kay furniture and eventually was a co-owner of CBS Furniture. He was a graduate of Bandys High School in 1964, and also attended CVCC's furniture program. In 1972, he joined the Sherrills Ford-Terrell Fire Department. He later became an EMT in 1978, and was instrumental in the creation of the Sherrills Ford Rescue Squad, which was chartered in 1986. During his time in fire and rescue service, he served as chief of the fire department for 15 years and led the merger of the fire and rescue squads in 1999, to create what we know today as the Sherrills Ford-Terrell Fire and Rescue. Willie formerly served as president of the Catawba County Firefighters Association and was an instructor of firefighter level I and II classes at Gaston College and CVCC. After retiring from fire and rescue services in 2001, the department dedicated their headquarters building in his name when it opened in 2006. Willie was a humble man whose accomplishments were always for the betterment of his community, of which he lived his entire life and loved so much. He lived life by his motto of, "Making a difference today is making for a better tomorrow."
As a way to continue supporting his firefighters, the family asks in lieu of flowers that memorials may be made to Sherrills Ford-Terrell Fire and Rescue Auxiliary, 4011 Slanting Bridge Rd., Sherrills Ford, NC 28673.
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Bassett Family Association Database
1945 - 2021 (75 years)
d. 28 May 1979, Sherrills Ford, Catawba County, North Carolina