Lily Mae Bash

1924 - 2016

In Loving Memory LILY MAE BASH January 3, 1924 - July 24, 2016 Lily Mae Bash, age 92, passed peacefully in her sleep on July 24, 2016, in her cozy home at Lake Almanor, California. Lily was born in Lovington, New Mexico, on January 3, 1924. She is survived by her sons-all three served in the US Air Force- Lt. Col. Darrell Dixon Bash, Retired; 2nd Lt. Dr. Craig Bash, Retired,; Lt. Gen. Brooks Bash, Retired; and seven grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, Lt. Col. Darrell Bash, Retired (age 83); her sister, Sue Lackey (age 96); her brother, Bill McDonald (age 83); and her eldest brother, Don McDonald (age 56). Lily's remarkable "can do" attitude was a reflection of her roots, which grew out of the Depression and WWII experiences-she was one of the "Great Generation." Lily spent her early years in Texas where her father Sonny McDonald was in the oil business, and her mother Mary McDonald was one of the first female postmasters. Lily attended Hollywood High School for one year then moved to Long Beach, graduating from Jordon High School ml 942. Her next step was to attend Graus Business School, becoming a proficient stenographer, an expert typist (80 wpm), and a wiz at accounting and numbers, which she later put to use in playing cards, especially Bridge. Lily migrated to southern California during the Depression where she met Darrell Bash, who had also migrated there from Ohio. When he was called to patriotic duty during WWII, she interrupted her career to marry Darrell on October 8, 1943, in Lordsburg, New Mexico. Their married life began in Florida where Darrell completed flight training in the Army Air Corps before deploying to the Pacific, flying the P-51 Mustang, aptly named "Shanghi Lil." During WWII, she worked for the war effort at the Continental Can Company. In the course of their Army Air Corps and Air Force journey, they lived many places (over 20) such as: Leon, France; Elmendorf, Alaska; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and, several locations in California. In 1965, Lily and Darrell moved to Chester, California, where they owned and operated the Chester Airport (now Rogers Field), as the second owners, for nearly fifteen years. Lily's business skills were honed when she became the accountant and bookkeeper for their business, Lake Almanor Aviation. It was not uncommon to observe Lily on a ladder fueling the wings of an aircraft. When Lily and Darrell sold Lake Almanor Aviation, they began splitting their time between Paradise, California (winters) and Lake Almanor (summers). In 1958, when they first visited Lake Almanor, they purchased lake property, and she has owned property at the lake since that time. Their Big Springs Road residence was appropriately named "RANCHO NOTSO GRANDE" due to its diminutive size amid the sugar pine, cedar, and fir trees. Lily was extremely proud of the fact, despite her advancing age, to have spent every summer there for the past fifty-eight years. Lily's greatest joys in life were her three boys and her grandchildren. She loved elegant, fashionable clothes, high heels, ballroom dancing, sewing, romance novels, Spinner #5 (her furry companion), and Internet Bridge. Until age ninety, she could routinely be found in the wee hours of the night on her laptop, playing Bridge with an opponent from some faraway place on the globe. She summed up her opponents by observing how they shuffled, circumspectly noting any degree of clumsiness. If noticed, she wittily was heard to say, "Well, this will be over soon!" She was a fierce competitor, even recently playing card games with her caregivers, winning routinely eight out of ten times, at any game. Lily's tenacity was tested to the extreme two years ago (age 90) when she went into renal failure. For eight weeks she had hemodialysis, three times a week, for five hours. She was acutely aware that her odds of recovery were nil-l/500. Lily's complete recovery was a direct result of her uncanny optimism and her refusal to surrender. From this life-altering event, she grew a new special kind of love and affection for her family. Lily's favorite color was red, and she surrounded herself in a myriad of ways with this vibrant color, which also mimicked her feisty, fun, spunky persona. Friends have described her as likable and strong with a quick-witted sense of humor. Think of a firecracker, and you will have an image of Lily-small yet powerful! She was a wonderful mom. Her last words were "Good Night," said with a wave and a smile to one of her caregivers sitting only four feet away. We all loved Lily, and we will miss her with champagne tears. "Oh Baby, Oh Baby, Oh Baby" On Sunday, August 14,2016, a social gathering beginning at 11:30 A.M. will be followed by a memorial service and a Celebration of Lily's Life, led by Pastor Todd DuBord at 1:00P.M., at 2554 Big Springs Rd., Lake Almanor, California. Immediately following, the Bash family is hosting lunch at Luchiano's (401 Peninsula Drive) between 2:30-4:00 P.M. "Good Night Fun and Spunky Lily" In lieu of flowers, please make any donation to the National Kidney Foundation-dialysis saved her life.