Mary Edith Bassler

Mary Edith Bassler passed away on Saturday, April 10, 2021, after some months of declining health. She was 92 years old, born on December 29, 1928, in Valley Bend, West Virginia, to Jesse and Emma Welch. Mary came from a big family. She had four brothers, four sisters, and ninety-three first cousins, twelve of which were double first cousins. She grew up in East Daily, West Virginia.

Mary was the first in her family to attend college. After a two-year training in business college, she moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There she met her beloved husband, Edwin Eugene Bassler. Edwin and Mary were married on August 2, 1952. They had two children Kevin Eugene Bassler of Houston, Texas, and Kelly Jean Harrington of Evansville, Indiana. Mary was widowed in 1984.

Mary was an accountant and worked for multiple car dealerships in Pittsburgh, eventually as secretary-treasurer. She was revered by her peers and consistently won numerous awards for her account reporting accuracy and timeliness.  She retired in 1990.

In retirement, Mary devoted herself to caring for her physically disabled son. With Kevin, who is now a Professor and Chair of the Department of Physics at the University of Houston, she traveled broadly. Together they visited all 48 contiguous states, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and made multiple trips to Europe to visit Germany, Norway, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. She was particularly fond of driving fast on the German autobahn.

She also enjoyed spending time with her daughter and her daughter’s growing family. She loved children and would “light up” when talking with, seeing, or caring for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Mary had a deep Christian faith. She was well-liked for her kindness and her gift of hospitality. Many graduate students at the University of Houston considered her their adopted grandmother.  She was a great cook and loved entertaining. The Thanksgiving meals she cooked with her wild rice and chestnut stuffing are legendary. She will be greatly missed by all who loved her.

Mary is survived by her son and her daughter, who is an Inpatient Mental Health Tech. She is also survived by three granddaughters (Emma Kaitlin Satterfield, Abigail O’Brian Luckett, and Claire Alexandra Harrington, all of Evansville, Indiana), three great-grandchildren (Carter David Satterfield, Amelia Mary Satterfield, and Resse Alexandra. Satterfield, all of Evansville, Indiana), one sister (Ethel Marie Swiger of Elkins, West Virginia), and a fraction of her cousins.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, April 16, 2021, at 4:30. pm at the A.D. Bruce Religion Center on the University of Houston campus. Her remains will be buried next to her husband’s in the coming weeks.