Around Town: Nov. 28
Condolences
Nancy Johnson Bassett of North Pomfret, Vermont, left this life on her own terms, Nov. 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.
Born in Fairfield, Connecticut, on Aug. 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 co-editor of the Oberlin Review and, during the summer of 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 on 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 advisor 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, co-chaired 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); 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.