Millicent Adelia Eva Basch

Millicent Adelia Eva Basch was a caring mother and grandmother and a friend to many. She was thoughtful and sweet, tolerant and gracious. She welcomed many into her life and home, entertaining at her lake house and becoming involved in numerous social activities. As much as she enjoyed traveling, she was most happy spending time with her children and grandchildren and having her friends close by. They meant the world to her, and the love she showered on them was returned to her in the respect and admiration they have for Millicent and a life well lived. Millicent was born to Walter and Lydia (Orquist) Anderson on August 16, 1920 in Muskegon, Michigan. The decade known as the Roaring Twenties, introduced Americans to jazz, Vaudeville and the Grand Ole Opry as well as liquor prohibition, speakeasies and Flapper fashions. Jazz was hot, Vaudeville was going strong, and the Grand Ole Opry began broadcasting on the radio. The stock market crash in 1929 ushered in the troubled years of the Great Depression. Families who weathered those troubled times often drew strength from their faith and close family ties. Millicent and her older sister Vivian grew up secure under the love and care of their mother and father, the secretary-treasurer of the Muskegon Gas Company. Life on Southern Avenue was full of fun for tomboy Mil, and adventure awaited the girls whether they visited the lovely Michigan beaches or their aunt in Ionia who took them to the Ionia Free Fair. One calamity at the beach had a happy consequence, however. Mil had cut her foot in the sand and a young man carried her to safety. That rescuer was Harry Bratsburg, who the entertainment world would later know as Harry Morgan (Col. Potter on the TV sitcom MASH). The Anderson family was very involved in church life in Muskegon, belonging to the Lutheran League and Samuel Lutheran Church. It was there that Millicent formed a special and lasting friendship with sisters Gertrude and Mildred Land, who would figure prominently in at least one major event of Millicents life. Mil attended Muskegon Public Schools and graduated from high school in 1938. Unlike many young women of her generation, she had the opportunity to continue her education and prepare for the work world. She completed secretarial school and was employed at Brunswick manufacturing, and some time later, she worked at various companies and eventually at Johnston Boiler in nearby Ferrysburg. Her career was put on hold when marriage and family became the center of her life. It was friend Mildred Land and her husband George Bergeon who arranged a double date with Millicent and Sherwood Basch. The matchmakers must have been delighted to see a romance blossom and unfold into love and commitment. Millicent and Sherwood were married on February 20, 1946 in Muskegon and settled in Fruitport. They became members at a church close to their home, Fruitport Congregational Church, and prepared to raise their family. Millicent and Sherwood were blessed with two childrenJeff, born in 1951 and Sue in 1954and Mil set about making the home an ideal place for them to thrive. She did what mothers did in the 1960s. She made sure the household schedule and tasks ran smoothly, and she kept everyone nicely dressed and well fed with her good cooking. The family looked forward to homey Sunday dinners, followed by a slide show and (in a turn from such genteel activities) firing guns in the basement shooting range. The Basch family also enjoyed traveling together, and they usually headed east for a week or two of beach life and summer boating. Because Sherwoods family had come from Suttons Bay, he and Mil and the kids liked to vacation in northern Michigan. They bought and fixed up a cottage on the lake and made it their get away place. They thoroughly enjoyed entertaining friends and family alike, and when grandchildren came along, they had even more loved ones to treat with generosity and fun. With all the time that Millicent spent with family, friends and her many social activities, she still found time for such graces as sending Christmas cards. Each year, she mailed 175 or more and yet felt dreadfully sorry if she thought she missed anyone. That kind of chivalry and sensitivity marked Millicent as a woman of dignity and noble beauty. Mrs. Millicent Adelia Eva Basch, age 92 of Norton Shores, Michigan, passed away peacefully Monday, June 24, 2013. She will be missed by dear friends and her loving family. They include her son, Jeff (Amy) Basch of Norton Shores; daughter, Sue (Stan) Samdal of NY; grandchildren, Shaun and Leah; step grandchildren, Jamie, Jeremy, Aaron and Seth; great grandchild, Marek. She was preceded in death by her husband of 66 years, Sherwood, in 2012; her parents and sister, Vivian. A memorial services will be held Tuesday, July 2, 2013, 2:00 PM at Fruitport Congregational United Church of Christ with Rev. Donald Wood officiating. Visitation hours Monday, 5-7 PM at Clock Funeral Home - Fruitport. Those desiring to make a memorial contribution may consider giving to the Salvation Army or the Charity of Your Choice