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- Bassett’s Cricket Ranch, Inc. (From their website, Feb 2009)
Bassett’s Cricket Ranch, Inc. was started in 1969 by Dale and Dorothy with the help of their two sons, Russ and Jon. The business started out very modestly, primarily selling crickets for fish bait and the occasional pet store.
The business grew tremendously in the late 70’s and early 80’s due to the growth onset by the pet industry. We started promoting the immature size crickets for smaller animals and the fact that they were of higher nutrional value. Today, our operation produces in excess of three million crickets each week, primarily for the pet industry. This task is completed in 48.000 sq. ft. of environmentally controlled buildings and warehouses.
Today, the operation is managed by Russ Bassett as President/CEO. Jon Bassett is Vice President/Production Manager, and Dale and Dorothy filling in various roles in the day-to-day operation. We have 21 employees that produce the crickets and mealworms, and complete all packaging and shipping. The customer service team is ready to answer your questions.
Obituaries, Saturday, November 27, 2004
R. Dale Bassett, Business Owner
Dale was born on March 4, 1934, in Levalland, Texas, to Melvin and Lorain Bassett. He passed away on Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2004, in Visalia. He as the oldest of three children and a naval veteran of the Korean War.
Dale loved the outdoors, whether it was hunting and fishing or watching his children of grandchildren perform in sporting events.
From an early age, Dale started fishing with his beloved Grandpa Shults. Dale spent many a fall hunting that elusive bull elk in either Montana or Idaho. He finally killed that bull in 1977.
His love for the outdoors led him and his wife, Dorothy, to open Dale’s Sporting Goods in Visalia in 1960.
He always said that the store opened many a door to the community and friendships. They started the store with a $1,000 loan from his parents and $1,000 that they had saved. They owned the store for more than 20 years.
Through the store, he started his second business, Bassett’s Cricket Ranch. He is quite famous for this endeavor. There are not many cricket farms that were housed on Lovers Lane – quite a conversation piece. Dale was an entrepreneur in the truest sense. In his late 60s, Dale joined the Tulare County Sheriff’s VIP Program. He was a proud member for more than five years.
Dale loved people. He was in his element by greeting customers at the sporting goods store or at a trade show promoting his crickets. He was a trusting businessman who gave many local young people their first charge account. He loved two kinds of music, country and western. He played for a time with Old Time Fiddlers group and when he wasn’t playing, he enjoyed listening.
He is survived by his wife, Dorothy. They just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Sept. 11, 2004. He is also survived by his sons, Russ and his wife, Marta, of Visalia and Jon and his wife, Sandy, of Strathmore.
His greatest legacy is his five grandchildren, who he dearly loved each in their own special way: Russell, Matthew, Brandon, Manuel, Manuel and Cassandra (Cassie the special miracle that could always make Papa smile), and his two nieces, Sheryl Loewen and Tamara Heeres. Dale was preceded in death by both of his parents, his brother, Leonard, and his sister, Peggy Hougham.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Miller Memorial Chapel in Visalia, with burial at Visalia District Cemetery. Visitation will be from 2 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral chapel.
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Bassett Family Association Database
1934 - 2004 (70 years)