William Mark Bassett, a church elder and General Authority Seventy of California’s The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died on May 11 during a family trip to St. George. He was 59.
According to Asatunews, Bassett suffered a traumatic brain injury in an accident. His church confirmed the news on Monday and issued a statement:
“Elder Bassett will be deeply missed and always remembered for his great faith and dedicated service to the Lord Jesus Christ. Our love and prayers are with his dear wife, Angela, his children and his grandchildren during this difficult time.”
William Mark Bassett married Angela Brasher in 1989. She is a primary school teacher. They have five children and multiple grandchildren.
Elder Bassett was also serving as the church’s acting executive director for the missionary department at the time of his demise.
William Mark Bassett: Life, career, relationships, and more
William Mark Bassett was born and raised in Carmichael, California, just outside of Sacramento. He was the second among five siblings. His parents, William Lynn Bassett and Edwina Acker Bassett, were lifelong gospel preachers.
In April 2016, he spoke with The Church News about what led him to the path of God. Bassett recalled that as a child, he often traveled to his maternal grandmother’s house in Alabama. On their way, the family stopped at various religious sites, including the historic church grounds in Nauvoo, Illinois, and the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, New York.
“We felt something there. That’s how my testimony was formed, through little experiences… I was close to my family and friends through my youth and we relied on and helped each other. I am still very close with my siblings,” Mark noted about the foundation of his faith.
The late church leader spoke fondly about his parents and grandmother.
“My parents have always been faithful. Certainly, they have had challenges, but they have always strived to do what’s right and raised us that way… My grandfather was killed in an accident in the home — an explosion that took his life when my mother was 10 years old. My grandmother raised four of her six children, the youngest being 8 months, by herself, under very difficult circumstances. She has always been a hero in our family.”
William Mark Bassett further mentioned:
“Granny was a convert and walked long distances to church herself, and was very committed during difficult times. Her life was hard, but she was faithful and one who always gave to others. As much as she was in need — she even had to buy groceries on credit from the storekeeper who would allow them because he knew they needed food — she always looked for opportunities to help others.”
Bassett’s faith was also shaped by two traumatic incidents during his adolescence. At 11, he lost his close friend to a car accident. He later realized that he would have been on the bike with him for the weekday afternoon paper if not for Primary.
Another similar incident happened when he was 15 and was on a campout with the same friend’s family. Unfortunately, a lightning storm injured the friend’s father while Mark, the friend’s brother, and other boys went to the nearest ranger station to find help, without realizing he had died. In such a situation, he also chose to kneel and pray with the group, which he thinks was a “turning point” in his life and solidified his faith.
“Just praying together and relying on the Lord at that time was a learning experience — we really had nowhere else to go. I felt comforted even though at the time we didn’t know he had passed away. We felt the Holy Ghost clearly and felt peace during a very challenging time.”
The early experiences eventually helped him to figure out his top priorities: family and faith. He explained:
“I had to decide at a young age what I believed and what it all meant.”
During one of his first missions to Guatemala City in 1985, a 19-year-old William Mark Bassett became a disciple of the mission president, Gary Elliott, whom he credited with “changing my life.” He also learned discipline from Gary and his wife Sharon, who were former Marines.
After a life-changing two-year mission serving as its ward leader/ head youth missionary, William Mark Bassett returned to his hometown, where he rekindled his friendship with Angela Brasher, the daughter of Larry Frank Brasher and Anne Hansen of Salt Lake City, Utah. But before he could leave for Brigham Young University, the pair fell in love and decided to continue their romance in a long-distance courtship.
In December 1989, William Mark Bassett and Angela Brasher tied the knot in Salt Lake Temple. He used his accounting degree to find work in the auto industry. In fact, Bassett joined his wife’s family business, Brasher’s Sacramento Auto Auction, in 1991, as a controller. He soon became the co-owner and CFO of West Coast Auto Auctions.
Meanwhile, Angela took up teaching at the local primary school. She also simultaneously offered her counselling/ secretarial services to the wards inside the Young Women and Primary presidencies. Elsewhere, Ms Brasher also taught primary and gospel at Relief Society, Utah.
A decade ago, she told The Church News:
“Family is central to our lives. We have always been close to our brothers and sisters and parents, and have tried to help our kids turn inward, encouraging them as siblings to love each other.”
Sister Brasher, as she is fondly called by William Mark Bassett’s congregation, also spoke fondly about her husband:
“His humility and how he treats others stands out in my mind. I love watching him interact with the people he’s serving. … He is thoughtful of people. He’s tender. He remembers people, and he’s always quietly doing things for others.”
William Mark Bassett changed the course of his career in 2007 and joined the Arizona Mesa Mission, Antelope 4th Ward, and Antelope California Stake. Some of the roles he served in include bishop, counsellor, high councilor, and stake president. The church leader told the publication he was lucky to be part of “building the kingdom of God on earth.” He added:
“I have been blessed personally and am eternally indebted to Him. I want others to feel that same love and am happy to do whatever part I can to help that happen.”
Years later, William Mark Bassett joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an Area Seventy. In April 2016, he was promoted to a General Authority Seventy. At the time of his death, Elder Bassett was also an honorary member of the North America Northeast Area Presidency.
Tributes are now pouring in for the deceased.
Edited by Pallavi K