John Boyd Bassett

Celebration of Life:

John Boyd Bassett, 92, of Pueblo, Colorado passed away on Tuesday the 9^th of January 2024.

John was born on December 15, 1931, to parents Ellsworth Leroy Bassett and Lillian Bassett in Rocky Ford, Colorado.  His dad was a carpenter for a bridge and highway contractor, and the family moved all over the West working on projects.  During this period, he and his brothers attended many different schools.  John was entrusted to drive the school bus his senior year at Rye High School, even though he was only seventeen years old.  After graduating from Rye High School in 1950, he went on to study at Pueblo Community College, where he later became a member of the advisory committee with their Building Construction Education Program.

On January 24, 1951, John married his high school sweetheart, Mabel May Williams in Rye Colorado.  John and Mabel went on to have four children, John E., Kenneth, Daniel, and Pamela.

In April 1952 he volunteered for the U.S. Marine Corps and served with the Fleet Pacific Distributing Pay Department.  Back then, the Marines were paid in cash, and he loved to tell stories about going to remote bases with a big satchel of cash and a pistol on his hip to hand out payroll.  John left the Marines in 1954 with an honorable discharge and the rank of Corporal.

He started his first job in 1946 as a truck driver and laborer for Brown Construction Company who was a heavy and highway contractor.  After his stint with Brown, he steadily worked his way up the ranks to superintendent with other contractors.  In 1960 he joined Bassett Construction Co. of Pueblo, CO with his brothers Walter and Robert.  During his twenty-five years at Bassett Construction, Co. he was at first a foreman, then superintendent, then Project Manager, and finally VP of Field Operations.  He was involved in a multitude of construction projects in southern Colorado.  You can’t drive around Pueblo without passing dozens of commercial and institutional buildings that he helped build. Just as importantly, he left a lasting legacy by mentoring family and coworkers in the construction trade.

In 1988 John retired from Bassett Construction Co. and spent his time with his wife Mabel raising cattle, and chickens, and growing hay and peaches.  Their visits with their grandchildren and great-grandchildren are special memories. They also enjoyed their RV club and traveled around the country.  One of their favorite places was Aransas Pass, TX where they could enjoy the warm weather, oysters, and fishing. Some of the people they met along their travels became longtime friends.

John was preceded in death by his parents, Ellsworth Leroy Bassett and Lillian Bassett; and brothers, Walter and Robert; along with two daughters-in-law, Donna and Debby.  He is survived by his wife of almost 73 years, Mabel May Bassett; sons, John E. Bassett and his wife Elaine, Kenneth Bassett, and Daniel Bassett and his wife Rhonda; daughter, Pamela Bassett-Weaver and her husband Steve Weaver; grand-children, John Brent, Chad, Scott, Michael, Daric, Corry, and Justin Bassett, Erica Brown, Clayton Weaver, and Stacy Schoonover; great grand-children, Conner, Evelyn, Cole, Owen, Aspen, Harley, Kyleigh, and Chase Bassett, Wyatt, and Grace Brown, Hunter, and Hudson Weaver, Sarah, Patricia, and Kathrine Schoonover; and a host of devoted nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, January 17, 2024, in the Montgomery & Steward Chapel. Interment, Roselawn Cemetery.