Phyllis J. "Dee" Basham

Phyllis Jean "Dee" Basham, 97, of Matamoras, Pennsylvania, died peacefully on October 16, 2025.
She was born in Matamoras on May 18, 1928. She was raised in "the acre" in Port Jervis, NY, until the age of 9, when her family moved to Matamoras. Dee graduated from Matamoras High School, class of 1946, where she was a star basketball player and cheerleader; her basketball uniform is on display at the Matamoras-Westfall Historical Society. In later years, she was active in and served as vice president of the former Matamoras High School Alumni Association, and so enjoyed assisting in planning annual reunions, which she looked forward to every year.
Phyllis was a woman of deep faith and was very active in her churches, where she served as a Sunday school teacher, a youth leader, and a Vacation Bible School teacher in Hope Church in Matamoras. In later years, she was similarly active in the former First Baptist Church in Port Jervis, before becoming a member of the Hope Evangelical FreeChurch in Matamoras.
Phyllis lived most of her life in Matamoras, except during the early 1950s when she lived in Arlington, Virginia, with her husband, who was employed by the Federal Government. There she worked as a clerk and newsletter editor for the Navy Department in Washington, DC, and for Virginia Power and Electric as a surveyor's assistant.
Phyllis boasted having over 50 different part-time and full-time jobs in her life, including in Port Jervis with Gillinder Glass, Levin Furniture, JCPenney, JJ Newberry, WT Grant, Kolmar, Metropolitan Life Insurance, the Port Jervis Chamber of Commerce, and as a waitress in the former Flo-Jean restaurant. She was also a Tupperware lady for several years, which provided her with a lifetime of fond memories and stories. She was a co-proprietor and operator of the Dairy Dan ice cream truck that operated primarily in Port Jervis and Matamoras, which also provided a lifetime of humorous stories. In Matamoras, she previously worked for Wyant Furniture. She also worked in the Pike County mapping office in Milford, Pennsylvania. Finally, Phyllis was an Instructional Assistant, beginning her career in the original Matamoras Elementary School and then in Delaware Valley Elementary School until retiring in 1996.
Phyllis was elected as a Judge of Elections in Matamoras. She was inducted into the Pike County Voter Hall of Fame in 2022 after voting in every general election for over 50 years. She was an active member of the Pike County Council of Republican Women. She was an extremely active civic volunteer both in her church and in other community efforts, including the American Heart Association, American Cancer, veteran's issues, with the Pennsylvania Association of School Retirees, and numerous civic groups and causes. She was a member of a knitting club, a bowling league, and enjoyed her swim girls' club. She was a Cub Scout Den mother when her sons were young. She was a member of the Matamoras Angels, a ladies' group that notably performed inspirational songs such as Hail Matamoras at the centennial event. She loved to travel and enjoyed vacations in Bermuda, Canada, South Korea, Mexico, Romania, and Spain.
Phyllis is survived by her son, Jay, her cherished grandchildren Julie and Dennis, and beloved great-grandchildren Mikayla, Jacob, and Nicholas. In addition to fond longtime family friend Sueja.
She is also survived by several nieces and nephews, whom she loved dearly and who lovingly cared for her. She was predeceased by her husband William Basham, son David, parents Michael and Catherine (Hornbeck) DeAngelo, her sister and brother-in-law Joan (DeAngelo) and Leonard Balch, her sister Kathleen DeAngelo, and her brother Michael DeAngelo. She was also predeceased by so many best friends, but is also survived by so many other dear, dear friends, old and new. In her last years, she was lovingly cared for and comforted by so many wonderful Personal Care Assistants, Medical Technicians, Dining Service and Housekeeping staff, Receptionist, and Activity Coordinators while she was residing in an assisted living facility in Matamoras. Those extraordinary people provided unbounded love, comfort, and care for Phyllis and her family as well, for which she was, and they will always be so very grateful.
A visitation will take place on Friday 10/24 from 2 to 5:00PM at the Knight-Auchmoody Funeral Home 154 East Main Street, Port Jervis NY 12771. A Funeral Service will be 11AM on Saturday 10/25 at Hope Evangelical Free Church, 300 1st Street, Matamoras, the family will receive guests from 10:30AM to 11:00AM prior to services. Interment will immediately follow at Pine Grove Cemetery, Matamoras.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory will be appreciated by the American Cancer Society, the Alzheimer's Association, and Pine Grove Cemetery in Matamoras.