Charlene Bass

Retired Smith County Administrator of Elections, Mrs. Charlene Bass, passed peacefully Friday morning November 14, 2025 at the family's Popular Lane West home in the Tanglewood Community with family and friends in her presence and was pronounced deceased at 11:50 a.m. by Sheri Kinney with Gentiva Hospice of Livingston.
Graveside services will be conducted on Sunday afternoon November 16th at 3 p.m. from the Garden of Everlasting Life at the Smith County Memorial Gardens. Eld. Barney Allison and Eld. Junior Dickerson will officiate and burial will follow in the Bass Family lot.
Visitation with the family will be on Sunday afternoon November 16th from 1 p.m. until 2:45 p.m. and again at the graveside service following the committal.
She was born Margaret Charlene Mofield in the Rawls Creek Community on September 6, 1945 and was one of seven children, four daughters and three sons and the youngest child of the late Lee Mofield who died at the age of 85 on September 3, 1985 and the late Lena Robertson Jenkins Mofield who died at the age of 64 on January 21, 1970.
Siblings who preceded her in death were a twin brother, Morris Mofield who died at birth on September 6, 1945, Marvin Royce (Trigger) Mofield who died October 24, 2004 at the age of 70, John Martin (John M.) Mofield who died October 28, 2012 at the age of 87, Evelyn Janette Mofield Washer who died November 5, 2016 at the age of 79, Faye Lee Mofield who died November 9, 2022 at the age of 91, and Linda Joyce Mofield Watson who died July 30, 2024 at the age of 82.
Mrs. Bass was a member of the graduating class of 1963 at Smith County High School where she majored in Home Economics and was a recipient of the Junior Degree in the Future Homemakers of America. She was a class officer her sophomore year and her freshman and sophomore year she was a member of the marching band, swing band, and the Spring Festival.
It was stated of her in the '63 Owl yearbook that she was lively, keen, and A Pixy and was "As merry as the day is long".
On April 13, 1979 at the Rock City Community home of her brother, John M., she was united in marriage to Kennys Bend Community native, Charles Boyd Bass. The ceremony was performed by Eld. Walter Deweese.
She was an administrative official in the office for the Smith County Election Commission before her retirement for twenty five years' service from 1986 through 2011.
At the age of fifteen she was saved on August 21, 1961 and was baptized into the full fellowship of the Plunketts Creek Missionary Baptist Church in the Rock City Community.
At the time of her death her church membership was at Macedonia The Baptist Church of Christ in the Club Springs Community.
Surviving in addition to her husband Charles of almost forty-seven years is their daughter, Christina Bass Elrod and husband Matthew and their two children, Levi and Lena all of Knoxville; two step daughters, Sonja Bass Hammond and husband Chris and their daughter Chesley Hammond and Caleb Denney and their two children, Kaybree Denney and Whitley Denney all of the Hogans Creek Community, Marilyn Bass Carpenter and husband Shane and their two sons, Bhrett Carpenter and his son Bentley Bush, and Blake Carpenter, all of the Bradford Hill Community.
The Bass Family requests memorials to the Plunketts Creek Missionary Baptist Church.