Nancy
Johnson Bassett of North Pomfret, Vt., left this life on her own
terms on November 15, 2024. After a vibrant and energetic life of 99
years and a brief illness, she died peacefully where and how she had
wished — at the Jack Byrne Center in Lebanon, N.H.
Born
in Fairfield, Conn., on August 22, 1925, Nancy was the daughter of
Mabel Gravesen and John Peter Johnson. She was a graduate of Roger
Ludlow High School in Fairfield and of Oberlin College. On the
afternoon of her Oberlin graduation in 1947, she married fellow
Oberlin graduate John Putnam Bassett, also of Fairfield. Nancy was
coeditor of the Oberlin Review and, during summer 1944, a
reporter for the Bridgeport Post. As a 19-year-old, Nancy was
assigned to call on the bereaved families of soldiers who had died on
D-Day. During the war, Nancy used her father’s gas rations to drive
cancer patients to their treatments in New York City. These
experiences helped inform her lifelong kindness to, and interest in,
everyone around her.
Nancy
and John lived in San Francisco for several years after their
marriage, returning to Fairfield in the early 1950s, where they
raised their family. In 1951, John started an independent insurance
agency in Bridgeport, where Nancy initially maintained the books. As
the business grew, Nancy was able to hand off this work to focus on
her family and volunteer work.
In
1962, John and Nancy bought an abandoned house on the Bassett family
farm in North Pomfret. Beloved by parents and children, the home
became central to decades of family life. Nancy and John welcomed
friends and family to their home — filled more with love than with
heat. North Pomfret became their full-time home after John’s
retirement in 1993. Nancy embraced life in North Pomfret, becoming
involved in her community and building lifelong friendships. She
especially loved her neighbors, whose kindness and support meant so
much to her.
Hospital
volunteering was central to Nancy’s life from the 1960s until the
pandemic. At Bridgeport Hospital, she served on the board, as well as
a committee that established the Clinical Pastoral Education Program.
During a stay in Kenya for the International Executive Service Corps,
Nancy volunteered at a hospital refuge for young mothers and their
babies. For more than 25 years, Nancy served as a patient family
adviser at Dartmouth Hitchcock. She visited patients, capturing their
stories, and taught generations of nurses and residents about the
importance of patient-centered care. In 2019 Nancy was named
Dartmouth Hitchcock’s Volunteer of the Year.
Nancy
volunteered and served on the board at David’s House, cochaired
Woodstock’s Red Cross Blood Bank, and for decades advocated for
hospice and palliative care. Nancy was a member of the planning group
for the Jack Byrne Center for Palliative and Hospice Care at
Dartmouth Health, where she hoped to draw her last breath — a wish
fulfilled.
Nancy
traveled the seven continents, played tennis and golf, and was a
downhill and cross-country skier. After John’s death, Nancy
traveled with her children in France nearly every fall. She was a
voracious reader with wide-ranging interests. Until the last week of
her life, she walked daily in her beloved Vermont hills, always
savoring the beauty around her, especially spring wildflowers.
Nancy
adored watching her grandchildren and great-grandchildren find their
way in life. She is survived by her children, Elizabeth Bassett (John
Pane) and James Bassett (Ellen); grandchildren, Putnam Pane (Kelly
Pettijohn), Victoria Pane (Travis Titus), Jesse Bassett (Mary), John
Bassett (Rachel Johnson) and Hannah Bassett (Ian Lusty); and
great-grandchildren, Stella and Austin Titus, Ada and Jack Bassett,
and Roslin and Adeline Pane.
A
celebration of Nancy’s life will be held next summer. Donations in
Nancy’s memory can be made to the Jack Byrne Center at Dartmouth Health.
An
online guestbook can be found at cabotfh.com.
This article appears in Nov 20-26, 2024.