Steven C. Bass

1943 - 2019

Steven C. Bass

June 29, 1943 - April 18, 2019

SOUTH BEND, IN - On Thursday, April 18, 2019, Steven Craig Bass left us to join his Lord and Savior at the age of 75, passing away peacefully but unexpectedly in his home on St. John, USVI. He was a loving husband and father of two.

Steve was born on July 29, 1943 in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Leland Ellsworth and Isabelle Frances Bass. He was the oldest of three. He was a gifted learner and excelled academically. He graduated from North Central High School in Indianapolis in 1961 and went on to earn B.S.E.E. (‘66), M.S.E.E. (‘68), and Ph.D. (‘71) degrees in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University. He was a member of Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu engineering honorary societies.

In 1971 Dr. Bass joined the faculty of Purdue where he taught for 17 years and attained the rank of Professor of Electrical Engineering specializing in VLSI circuit design, computer-aided circuit design, and digital signal processing. He published approximately 70 technical papers and his research resulted in the award of nine patents. He was a sought-after consultant to industry and governmental organizations, working with the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Air Force, Philips Laboratories, IBM, the MITRE Corporation, the National Science Foundation and the Indiana Corporation for Science and Technology. Yet he loved and excelled at teaching, making the difficult science of electrical engineering easier to grasp for many young minds. He was twice awarded the D.D. Ewing Undergraduate Teaching Award and was four times nominated for the A.A. Potter All-Engineering Best Teacher Award.

In 1988 he moved to Nokesville, VA, to become Principal Engineer of the MITRE Corp of McLean, Virginia, and joined the faculty of George Mason University of Fairfax, VA, where he was a Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, receiving the Distinguished Faculty Award of the School of Information Technology and Engineering in 1991.

In August 1991 he became the inaugural endowed Schubmehl-Prein chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, a department that he founded and for which he served as its Chair for 10 years. He retired from the university in 2001 and was named Professor Emeritus of the department. At Notre Dame he was a Fellow for the Center for Social Concerns, and was listed in American Men and Women of Science, Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Education, and Who's Who in Technology Today. In 1995 he was honored with being named an IEEE Life Fellow for innovations in education and research in circuits, systems, and signal processing.

Steve moved to St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands with his wife in 2001. Even in retirement Steve continued to innovate and teach. He taught Computer Science at the University of the Virgin Islands from 2001-2004, and later founded the business, StJohnCondos.com.

Steve was most proud of his family and his work and involvement with the Church. He taught introductory theology classes regularly to deacon candidates and wrote a popular weekly theology essay posted in the church bulletin of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, the parish where he worshiped.

He was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Kevyn Anne Salsburg; brother, Leland Jay and wife Valerie Bass from San Diego; sister, Christine Bass from South Bend, IN; sons, Leland Kai Bass and wife Amie, and Marshall Lynn Bass and wife Kimberley, both from Houston; granddaughters, Kaitlyn Nichole Shedd Wilson, Amanda Marie Bass, Erin Taylor Bass, Lauren Taylor Bass, Annelise Catherine Bass, and Sofia Lynn Bass; great-granddaughter, Tauriel Ginevra Wednesday Wilson; and brother-in-law, Kurt Salsburg from Utica, NY.

A Funeral Mass was held at 10:00 a.m. on April 27, 2019 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI. Steve will be laid to rest at the Cedar Grove Cemetery on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend where a Graveside Service will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, 2019. A reception in the Hesburgh Room at the Morris Inn on the Notre Dame campus will follow where there will be a root beer toast to Steve.

In memory, Steve would encourage you to recite his favorite prayer, written by St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei:

“My Lord and my God: into Your hands I abandon the past and the present and the future, what is small and what is great, what amounts to a little and what amounts to a lot, things temporal and things eternal. Amen.”

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, the St. John Animal Care Center, or the charity of your choice. To leave an online condolence, visit www.wwelsheimer.com.