Evelyn M. (Bussell) Bass

Evelyn Bass, 99 of Loup City, NE died Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at Rose Lane Home in Loup City. Funeral services will be 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 30, 2016 at Higgins Funeral Home in Loup City with Reverend Douglas DeNeui officiating.  Burial will be held at the Evergreen Cemetery in Loup City. Visitation will be one hour before the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Grace Bible Church, Loup City, or the Sherman County Historical Society, Loup City.

Evelyn Mamie (Bussell) Bass was born June 8, 1917 in Comstock, NE, the daughter of Henry Oscar and Mary Rose (Rousek) Bussell.

She grew up and spent her early life in Comstock and graduated salutatorian of her 1934 class at Comstock High School.

She attended the Nebraska State Teachers College in Kearney (now University of Nebraska at Kearney) for three years and taught school in the elementary grades for six years.  She taught in rural one-room schools as well as in Friend and Culbertson.  She traveled from the house where she boarded to one of her one-room country schools on horseback.

On October 24, 1940 she was united in marriage to Elden V. Bass of Kearney in Phillipsburg, Kan.  She returned to her teaching duties since her husband was in the National Guards.  He was called to duty and stationed in Little Rock, Ark. where they lived until war was declared in December, 1941.  She then lived in Omaha with her family and worked for a time at the Martin Bomber Plant.

After serving in the Aleutian Islands area for 28 months, her husband was rotated back to the states and they lived for a time in San Antonio, TX and then spent a year in Petersburg, VA.  Upon his discharge they returned to Omaha where their twin daughters were born.  When their daughters were six months old, they moved to Loup City where she had lived since.  In 1949 they became parents of a son.

When they moved to Loup City, they owned a café, the White Spot, which they operated for a year.  Mr. Bass then began working for the Sherman County Times. In 1953 they became part owners of the newspaper and later that year they became the sole owners.  They published the newspaper for 16 years and won many honors at the state and national level.  They sold the paper in 1969.  She continued to work part time at the Times for several years, doing writing and proofreading.

While taking an active part as editor and other necessary duties at the paper, she was active in church work at the Presbyterian Church as a Sunday school teacher, choir member and, in later years, treasurer.  She helped organize the Women’s Association in the church and assumed several offices in that organization.  She was a 45-year member of the Order of Eastern Star and held several offices at the state level.  She was a Grand Officer in 1975.

She was active in multiple school activities in which her children were very active.

She enjoyed working on crafts, handwork, and crocheting as well as her bridge club.  She was an expert seamstress, made many of her own garments and formal gowns, and sewed all of the clothing for her twin daughters when they were young.

After their retirement she and Elden enjoyed traveling and took many trips including fishing trips to Minnesota and several to Hawaii.  They also traveled to Mexico and Canada.

Survivors are her daughters Susan J. Trompke of Loup City, Diana J. Keith of Kearney, and son David V. Bass of Lincoln, NE; three grandchildren, Melissa L. McVittie of Sacramento, CA, Dale R. Trompke of Loup City, and Vicki M. Sherman of Cold Water, Michigan; three great-grandchildren, K. J. Long, Samantha Rae Long, and Jakob Alan Long; and one great-great-granddaughter.

She was preceded in death by her husband on March 24, 2004, brother and sister-in-law, Everett and Lucille Bussell, and sister, Lillie Stewart.

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