Grant Bassett

The world brightened for all on December 1st, 1958 when George Grant Bassett was born in the quiet southwestern town of Carlsbad, New Mexico. He was a hefty young lad, weighing in at 10.5 pounds at birth. However, this weight is understood by those close to Grant as a direct result of his heart – so great in size and with boundless capacity for love. He immediately brought his parents and siblings great joy with his handsome looks and easy-going demeanor. It was not long until Grant could speak and express his innate sense of humor – a quality praised by all who knew him. He was the life of every party…a bringer of laughs and a creator of smiles.

The family moved to El Paso, Texas shortly after Grant’s birth – the city within which he would reside for most of his life. The new house abutted a vast expanse of then undeveloped Chihuahuan Desert habitat – a world Grant perceived as teeming with adventure. He quickly befriended his fellow neighborhood children and their clan would embark on daytime expeditions into the great unknown. Forts were built, rock wars were waged, and good times were had. It seems that this is where Grant’s fascination with herpetofauna was born as he and his friends would spend many days capturing lizards belonging to the genera Aspidoscelis and Phrynosoma – specimens that promptly made their way into Grant’s terraria. Grant’s eldest sister Roxanne recalls that these cold-blooded critters would often escape from their containers and run loose in the home, a situation which caused her great anxiety. This love for reptiles resided strongly within Grant for the remainder of his life – he always had an impressive collection of captive herpetofauna and was always on the prowl to capture herptiles in the wild whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Grant showed great promise from a young age, routinely achieving high marks in his courses along with praise from his instructors. He attended elementary and middle school at both Putnam and Morehead in El Paso, Texas. During this time, he enjoyed playing on the school football team and nurturing his love for photography. While in the seventh grade, his grandparents bought him his first camera, which immediately became his most treasured possession.

Grant continued his education at Coronado High School where he was loved by so many of his peers. He continued to excel academically but became truly enraptured with his creative endeavors, especially his responsibilities associated with the school newspaper and yearbook. His dedication and hard work were rewarded as he was appointed lead photographer for both of the aforementioned publications in only his sophomore year of school. It was now that photography became Grant’s greatest passion – the medium through which he could express, listen, and love with such subtle accuracy. Grant was vice president of the student body his junior year and president his senior year. Most notably, Grant was voted “All Coronado Boy” by his peers during his senior year – a designation of exemplary character given to one graduating senior each year. He was truly adored by so many of his classmates.

Upon matriculating from high school, Grant pursued a college degree at multiple institutions including Austin College, Southern Methodist University, and University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) – always hoping to attain a degree in the biological sciences so that he could work with reptiles and amphibians professionally. Grant performed superbly in college and was offered multiple scholarships, but unfortunately never earned his degree. While at UTEP, Grant was raising his newborn son Zack. Ultimately, he chose to put his family before his education – another tribute to his noble character.

Despite lacking a college degree, Grant was always bound for greatness. He worked twice as hard as his degree-holding peers and proved himself a valuable asset at all the companies he worked for. He was account executive vice president at Mithoff Advertising, sales manager at Channel 7 News, and marketing director at Azar Nut Company. He was honored with numerous performance awards at all of the aforementioned companies. In 2005 he founded the Santa Fe Food Company, which specialized in the sale of refried and pinto beans. Grant grew this business tremendously and his beans are now available for purchase at numerous grocery store chains across the nation as well as online. Upon his death, Grant was expanding the business to include the sale of seasoning and salsa. He was a truly ingenious entrepreneur with superb money management skills. His family recalls that it was always a futile attempt to beat the man at Monopoly – he was just too clever.

It was in 1986 at Mithoff Advertising that Grant met and began dating his future wife, Mary Ann. In 1991 they married at Trinity-First United Methodist Church in El Paso, Texas and proceeded to bring the world two boys – Zachary and Larry. Grant is described by his children as a selfless man, the type of father who would come to their rescue at any time despite the many heavy responsibilities he shouldered. He was like this with all his family – putting their well-being and comfort ahead of his own. Grant took his family on many great adventures and passed onto his boys a love for nature and a deep respect for education. Zachary earned a bachelor’s from University of Texas at Austin and a master’s from Georgia Tech. He is now, quite literally, a rocket scientist. Larry earned a bachelor’s and a master’s from Texas State University and is now pursuing a PhD at the same institution. Larry’s graduate research focuses on the ecology of freshwater turtles – a group of reptiles that Grant loved more than all other taxa. He cared so deeply about his boys’ and their education and was proud of their scholastic accomplishments.

In the summer of 2018, Grant was diagnosed with cancer. He fought valiantly, always maintaining a cheerful outlook on life and retaining hope for his own viability. He continued to fill rooms with laughter as he never lost his ability to spontaneously generate the most hilarious jokes. He chased herps with his son Larry, and grilled steaks with Zack. He was our hero… a most comforting presence.

On July 21st, 2021, the angels decided it was time for Grant to rejoin them in the skies above. He passed away gracefully after hearing the loving words of his closest family - holding on until all had said goodbye. In true Grant Bassett fashion, he fought to give us this opportunity… he was a selfless man until the very last second. He has now embarked onward to his next great adventure and is free from the discomfort of cancer. We look forward to meeting him in Heaven for margs and barbecue – two of his most favorite things.

*For those who would like to make a charitable donation in honor of Grant, please give to the Turtle Conservancy at https://www.turtleconservancy.org/donate