Bassett Family Association Database

Edgar Dudley Bassett

Male 1919 - 1997  (77 years)


Personal Information

  • Name Edgar Dudley Bassett 
    Born 29 Jul 1919 
    Gender Male 
    _UID 5EFE3786801EA1438B97BD3C6B99CA8C102B 
    Died 17 Jun 1997 
    Notes 
    • Memorial
      E. Dudley Bassett
      July 29, 1919 - June 17, 1997
      E. Dudley Bassett, born Edgar Dudley, died of cancer at Agape House on June 17. Seventy-seven years old, he had lived on Sound View Road, Somerset and was the well-known former proprietor of the Somerset News Agency. He was born to Josephine (Thomas) Bassett from St. Kitt’s and Bermudian, Terrance Bassett on July 29, 1919. E. Dudley, who was one of 13 children, was pre-deceased by brothers, the late Arnold “Peka’ Bassett and the late Carl Bassett and by five other siblings in their childhood years. He attended school in Somerset and at the Berkeley Institute. He subsequently worked as an apprentice at Dockyard, and then pursued a career in refrigeration mechanics at the U.S. Naval Annex in Southampton. Later, he purchased a business, the Somerset News Agency, that he shaped over a period of some 50 years. According to his daughter, Dorothea Bassett, the agency sold newspapers, stationery supplies and greeting cards and was very much established in the community. “His business was quite often used as a meeting place for political discussions to the early morning hours - back in the early ‘50s round about the time of segregation - (by) people like Dr. E.F. Gordon and Dr. Eustace Cann," Ms. Bassett said. “The store was a real hub, not just a place to come, purchase and leave.” “He had a lot of friends who lied to come and chat with him,” his daughter said. “He was well-liked for his wit, his humour. He was a compassionate guy, easy-going.” She said some of his older friends knew her father as “Titus”. Others called him “Dick”, “Dud”, or any number of names. E. Dudley married his sweetheart, Hope Jackson, on February 17, 1951. They had a son and three daughters. Miss Bassett said her father spent a lot of time with his children, would take them on nature walks and Sunday afternoon driving tours. As a family, they had numerous political discussions around the kitchen table. At meals he would pass along tidbits from this growing-up years in Somerset - his own father’s business, how the young members of the family had to help in the store generally, and chip the ice to make ice cream. His daughter said the grandchildren would likely remember him for his taking them out to see the ducks. “He was very kind, warm, good-natured,” she said. And according to Miss Bassett, it was due to his honesty and standing in the community that her father, some 25-years ago, was asked to become a justice of the peace. He didn’t perform marriages, but he did sign documents for people.” She remembers that the police frequently came to see him when they needed warrants issued, arriving at the house at all sorts of odd hours. Mr. Bassett was also a member of Government’s Transportation Board, and he received community awards from the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and was recognized for his long service as a volunteer on the Sandys Secondary School Board of Governors. He belonged to the Allen Temple AME Church in Somerset, to the Irresistible Lodge in Somerset, and to the Progressive Labor Party. Services for Mr. Bassett, led by Pastor, the Reverend Betty Furbert, were held June 25 at Allen Temple AME Church in Somerset. C.W. Pearman & Son Funeral Services handled the funeral arrangements and burial at St. James Cemetery. E. (Edgar) Dudley Bassett is survived by his wife, Hope (Jackson) Bassett; son Andre; daughters Dorothea Bassett, Janice Swainson and Sheryll Ricardo; daughter-in-law Angria Bassett; grandchildren Jarita, Aisha, Alex-Andrew, Aaron, Jerome, Wanda, Charmaine, Lanan and Latoyia; great grandchildren Mario and Chaclair; brother Kenneth; sisters Myrtle Aiken, Carrie Trott, Ruby Harvey and Una Lightbourne; brothers-in-law Edward Jackson and Aldrich (Allie) Smith; sisters-in-law Cecily Bassett, Norma Jackson, Edna Thomas and Mary Hayward; godchildren, and numerous nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends. Mr. Bassett passed away in the same week as his sister-in-law, Alma Elizabeth Smith.
    Person ID I9  545B Terrance Bassett of Bermuda
    Last Modified 29 May 2018 

    Father Terrance Bassett 
    Mother Josephine Thomas 
    Family ID F4  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Amice Hope Jackson,   d. May 2020 
    Married 17 Feb 1951 
    Children 
    +1. Andre Dudley Bassett,   d. May 2018
     2. Dorothea Bassett
     3. Janice Bassett
     4. Sheryll Bassett
    Last Modified 5 Jun 2018 
    Family ID F6  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart