Helen Mary Janecek Basham passed away peacefully at home on November 8, 2023 surrounded by her family. Helen was born in
Cleveland, Ohio on July 8, 1928, to the late Sebastian and Anna Janecek and was the older sister to Rudy (Janet) and Tom (Sharon) Janecek.
Shortly after graduating high school, Helen received her nursing certification and traveled to Los Angeles, California where she began her career. Her nursing career lasted over 40 years with the majority of that time spent in different maternity wards across the country. Los Angeles is also where she met and married Benjamin Basham who was stationed there with the Marine Corps. Helen and Ben were married for over 66 years and their time together took them around the world on various military assignments. They lived in many different countries with their five children: Noranne Basham of
Houston, TX, Cathy Basham of
Clovis, CA, BJ Basham (Cindy) of Fairfax, VA, Robert Basham (Danielle) of Powhatan, VA, and Laura Torpy (Steve) of Nokesville, VA.
Her love of working with infants remained throughout her life and was evident in her happiness and the love she shared with her grandchildren Samuel Torpy (Brittany), Adam Basham, Christina Herman (Carter) and Evan Torpy and her great grandchildren Grayson, Kade and Jaxon. She was predeceased by her parents, her brother Rudy and her infant daughter Mary.
The family will receive friends on Thursday, November 16 from 5:00 to 7:00pm at Moser Funeral Home in
Warrenton, Virginia. A Catholic Mass celebrating Helen's life will be held at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in
Warrenton, Virginia on Friday, November 17 at 10:00am.
The Internment ceremony will be held at the Quantico National Cemetery on Monday, November 20 at 11:00am.
The family would like to thank her wonderful caregivers and Heartland Hospice for their supportive care during this difficult time.
In lieu of flowers, we suggest a donation in Helen's name to Heartland Hospice (
Warrenton, VA) or the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.moserfuneralhome.com