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- Muskegon Chronicle, Michigan, 3 January 2024
Charlie Bassett
12/4/1942 ? 12/29/2023
Grand Haven
On Friday, December 29, 2023, Charlie, age 81, of Grand Haven, transitioned peacefully into the next phase of eternal life. A celebration of the life of this wonderful man will be held at a later date.
Grand Haven Tribune, Michigan, 31 December 2023
In Memoriam
Longtime Spring Lake teacher, tennis coach dies
Charles ?Charlie? Bassett, who coached Spring Lake?s boys and girls tennis programs for a combined 78 years, died on Friday.
His son, Chad Bassett, posted the following on Facebook on Friday evening:
?At 12:30AM today, my father peacefully passed while I was holding his hands.
I am incredibly blessed and grateful to have had the privilege to call him dad.
While to me, that was his most important title, he had many ?coach, teacher, husband, photographer, woodworker, brother, grandfather, uncle and friend.
I was humbled by the hundreds of cards and letters he received while in hospice. The theme was overwhelming clear ? he didn?t simply teach woodshop or coach tennis, but taught the game of life. And so many shared how that shaped and changed their lives for the better.?
Bassett coached the Lakers? boys tennis team for 43 years, and was the girls? head coach for 35 years. His boys teams won conference titles in 23 of his last 30 years at the helm of the program, and from 1995 to 2012, missed reaching the state meet just twice.
He was also a longtime industrial arts teacher at Spring Lake High School.
In his retirement, Bassett turned his passion to woodworking and black-and-white photography. While he had a dark room in his basement, he quickly embraced the transition to digital and spent hours a day working on his photographs.
?He would plan travel around photography and some of his favorite subjects were in Alaska, Washington (State), Ireland and of course, Grand Haven,? Chad Bassett said. ?After his many travels, he would want to share the photos he had taken, but we were always informed that he had a rating system and would only show us the 5 star photos ? these still numbered in the hundreds each time. He had a keen eye for the movement and life found in clouds. That?s where I?ll look to him now.?
Chad Bassett shared that his father died after a battle with brain cancer.
?Since his diagnosis in mid-August, through his passing on Dec. 29, I was able to see him nearly every day. And he was enormously proud that he did all of his scans at the company that I co-founded, BAMF Health,? Chad Bassett said. ?This month, we will start a clinical trial for the very type of brain cancer that he was diagnosed with. While I wish with my whole being that he could have benefited from this new method of treating cancer, being by his side while he went through traditional chemotherapy and external-beam radiation treatments has given me unbelievable empathy and insight into the hell cancer patients go through.?
While in Hospice the past few weeks, the former teacher and coach received hundreds of cards from former students and players. Chad shared some memorable lines from them:
?You helped shape the way I approach life. Thank you for everything I learned from you on and off the court.? ? Mitch Davis (tennis player)
?Your leadership of the team made it feel like family? ? Brenden Peel (tennis player)
?Your coaching still allowed us to have fun. You knew what we needed, but still allowed us to be kids.? ? Trevor Zenas (tennis player)
?I can confidently say that without the influence of Coach Bassett in my life, I would not be where I am today? ? Josh Cole (tennis player)
?It?s quite astounding that the lessons from our player/coach relationship over 10 years ago are still profoundly impactful on my life today? ? Ryan Fedewa (tennis player)
?What you were coaching was not just tennis, but life. The lessons you taught your players were universal and applied years and decades down the road. It was so apparent 20 years ago, and more-so now that you weren?t just a coach, or even just a mentor, you were a state of mind. You offered your players a positive way of being and moving through the world and through life. Your legacy will far outlive your earthly presence, and have a generational impact for those of us who pass a few simple but monumental lessons down to our kids.? ? Ben McNeils
?You leave an indelible legacy in the lives of the thousands of kids you taught and coached at SLHS, and I am honored to have been one of them,? ? Cameron McNeil
?I remember the twinkle in your eye, the rimless glasses and the scarred knees out on the court with us. It wasn?t just the tennis, but the time we spent together as a team that was so rewarding,? ? Jim Thomas, class of ?80
Grand Haven Tribune, Michigan, 3 January 2024
Charlie Bassett
On Friday, Dec. 29, 2023, Charlie, 81, of Grand Haven, transitioned peacefully into the next phase of eternal life. Residing in Michigan his entire life, Charlie was a Hastings High State Champion in wrestling and All-State Honorable Mention center in football. He earned a bachelor's degree and two master's degrees from Western Michigan University and completed all coursework for a PhD at Michigan State University.
Charlie taught Industrial Arts for 36 years at Spring Lake High School and coached boys and girls tennis for 44 years. He often declared that he never worked a day in his life ? it was a privilege, and he enjoyed the subjects, sports, students, players and parents.
Charlie promoted the sport of high school tennis in Michigan, serving in many capacities on several boards and earned accolades from his peers: named Tennis Coach of the Year 5 times and State Coach of the Year 3 times, inducted into Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association Hall of Fame ('92), Michigan High School Coaches Hall of Fame and Spring Lake High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
Many of his tennis players and students have said that he did not merely teach woodshop or tennis, but taught life and was a true mentor of the positive. Whether you knew him as Chuck, Mr. B., Coach, photographer, woodworker, husband, father, or friend, you found him always patient and kind. The mantra he taught and lived by is "the body moves in the direction of the most dominant thought." He was a student of a course in miracles and truly affirmed the Christ in each and every person, extending love to all.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Jo; son, Chad (Bob); brother, Robert; stepchildren, Tess (Andy) and Andrew (Nicola); three grandchildren and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Barbara (ne้ Beck).
A celebration of the life of this wonderful man will be held at a later date and there will be pie because he always said, "The best pie is more pie."
Memorial contributions may be made to the Charles (Charlie) A. Bassett Endowed Scholarship Fund at Grand Haven Area Community Foundation. This fund was created in honor of Charlie in 2007 by tennis players and parents.
One of his dreams was to assist students in continuing their education. Please make checks payable to GHACF and include "Bassett" in the memo line. Online contributions may be made at www.ghacf.org.
Arrangements entrusted to The VanZantwick Chapel of Sytsema Funeral & Cremation Services (620 Washington Ave., Grand Haven, MI 49417).
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Bassett Family Association Database
1942 - 2023 (81 years)