| Notes |
- Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Texas, Thursday, July 31, 2014
Bettye Jane Sparkman Bass
Hot Springs, AR
Bettye Jane Sparkman Bass died peacefully on July 26, 2014, in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Less than a month earlier, all four generations of her loving family had proudly gathered there to celebrate her ninetieth birthday. A lifelong Texan, Bettye Jane was born in Wichita Falls on June 28, 1924, the beloved only child of Robert Lee and Nora Bernice Cook Sparkman. She grew up in Ingleside, where her father worked at the Humble Oil Refinery, and she graduated as valedictorian of the class of 1941. She went on to Baylor University, where she joined Delta Alpha Pi (Kappa Alpha Theta) and graduated with the Centennial class of 1945. After Baylor, she returned to the South Texas coast, moving across the bay to Corpus Christi, and making her home there for the next sixty-six years.
While working for Humble, she met and married Franklin Bass, who died in 1996 after almost forty-nine years together. Fully engaged in raising their three children, Bettye Jane was also active in church and community life. She belonged to First Baptist Church, teaching Sunday School for decades, and was a charter member of the '21' Study Club. Her interest in and commitment to theological education led to assignments to the advisory councils of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor, and the South Texas School of Christian Studies. She also served on the board of the South Texas Children's Home. She especially enjoyed the friends they made in the oil business and their church life, and the travel opportunities they pursued. She delighted in the company of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
She is survived by her children, Harold Franklin Bass, Jr. (Hal) (Mitzi), Robbie Lea Bass, and Rebecca Bass (David Brown); her grandchildren, Jessica Bass Vaught (L.B.), Franklin Sparkman Bass (Amanda), Ryan Brown, and Brendan Brown; and her great-grandchildren, Hallie Vaught, Robert Vaught, David Franklin Bass, Nora Bass, and Isaac Bass.
There will be a private burial at Seaside Memorial Park, followed by a memorial service in the chapel of First Baptist Church at 11:30 a.m., on Saturday, August 2, 2014. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a charitable contribution to First Baptist Church, 3115 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78404.
|
Bassett Family Association Database
1924 - 2014 (90 years)
, d. 28 Apr 1996, Corpus Christi, Texas