Sharon Maureen Bassett

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.neptunesociety.com/location/fort-lauderdale-cremation for the Bassett family.

Sharon “Sherry” O’Neill Bassett

Sherry Bassett passed away on Wednesday, July 12th at 10:45pm after suffering with Alzheimer’s disease for more than a decade. She is survived by her loving husband Steve Bassett, and devoted daughter, Erin Bassett Minton. She was born in Philadelphia on Sept 5th 1944 to George F O’Neill and Shirley K O’Neill. Ten years later she shared that birthday with her younger brother, Laird O’Neill. She was raised in Aiken SC and attended Mead Hall, graduating from high school in the class of 1962. She enjoyed horseback riding and listening to the top 40 radio in her room next to Hitchcock Woods.

While attending Agnes Scott college in Atlanta GA, she met lifelong friends and dreamed of changing the world in the peace corps while pursuing her degree in Psychology. During a coed mixer at the local Episcopal church, she met Steve Bassett, a handsome boy from Georgia Tech. They fell in love and married right after graduation in 1966.

Sherry worked as a social worker in Chicago before they moved back to Atlanta. While in Atlanta she began working at Nationwide Insurance, which is where she worked for the rest of her career. It quickly became apparent that Sherry was amazing at helping distressed people go through the claims process while experiencing hardships. After the Bassett’s moved to South Florida where they would put down their final roots, she continued working for Nationwide. She worked her way up the corporate ladder during the many hurricanes that would hit the state and east coast during her career. One of her biggest accomplishments was becoming the first female manager in the history of the company, paving the way for future generations of female managers. She thrived in the role of manager, becoming a beloved part of the company she worked for over 30 years.

After retirement Sherry volunteered for 211 Broward, calling the elderly community and working the suicide hotline. She was named the Volunteer of the Year for Broward County in 2011. Sherry also worked on the Commission for the Status of Women meeting other female activists and making a difference for the women in Broward County.

Sherry lived a long and wonderful life. She traveled with her husband Steve, raised her daughter Erin, doted on her nieces, celebrated her shared birthday with her brother, and visited her parents often. She was very creative, an avid snorkeler and scuba diver, and she loved holidays and celebrating just about every reason there is to celebrate. She was also incredibly strong and resilient, surviving cancer not only once but twice, and outliving her Alzheimer’s disease far longer than anyone ever expected.

Sherry was loved by everyone who met her. She is still in contact with her childhood girlfriends, high school classmates, college roommates, friends from Atlanta, coworkers at Nationwide, foreign exchange families, gourmet supper club friends, friends she met through volunteering, and all the residents and caregivers at the memory care facility where she resided for the last 4 years of her life. Everyone loves Sherry. Even after Alzheimer’s disease robbed us all of her beautiful light, she was still funny and kind and loving. Sherry was an incredibly smart, witty, selfless, caring, extremely funny, and an overall beautiful person – as everyone who ever met her will attest.

Sherry’s Celebration of Life will be held on August 12th in the home she shared with her husband of 57 years. Her ashes will be spread in the ocean by the Neptune Society.