Pamela Bassett Brand

1955 - 2021

Pamela Bassett Brand passed away March 9th, 2021 in Cozumel, Mexico while on vacation with family and friends. Pam was born October 20, 1955 to Austin Wayne Bassett and Alice Katherine (Eby) Bassett of Moulton, Iowa. She was united in marriage to Dr. Ronald Brand April 20, 2000. She is survived by her husband Ron of Kirksville, Missouri, and her sister, Terri Bassett (Frank Hein) of Ventura, California.

Being raised by parents who owned and ran the local Moulton newspaper (The Moulton Tribune) instilled a love of journalism in Pam. She graduated magna cum laude with a BA in English from Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University) in 1977. While studying for her Master's degree she became a teaching assistant and tutored many students in English studies. Her passion for journalism and the creative arts led to jobs at local media outlets, including stints as promotion director for both KTUF radio and KTVO television stations in Kirksville, Missouri.

Pam maintained a love of the creative world throughout her life – and was a certified master gardener. She was a skilled jewelry maker as well as an accomplished photographer, helping to run the Bassett family photography business after her father sustained serious injuries in a plane accident in the 70s. She also loved the performing arts and volunteered for Kirksville's community Curtain Call Theater. She was an ardent supporter of the Kirksville Arts Association, as well. As devoted as Pam was to the arts, it was the Cardigan Welsh Corgi that brought her the greatest joy. She garnered many titles for her dogs in conformation and agility trials throughout the Midwest. Many wonderful friends were made through those events.

Later in life Pam became an open water certified scuba diver. While in Cozumel she was enjoying every moment of being in the undersea world of the Caribbean. She passed away after a morning of doing something she loved, in a place she loved, and surrounded by people she loved. She will be missed by her family, friends, and all those whose lives she touched.

Celebration of Life service will follow at a later date. For memorial donations, the family requests your gift to The Cardigan Welsh Corgi National Rescue Trust (CWCNRT).