Lucien Lloyd Bass III

1940 - 2025

Lucien Lloyd Bass III

November 2, 1940 - January 17, 2025

Lucien Lloyd Bass III of Greenwood, VA died at home the morning of January 17th with his family by his side. Possessing a relentless, positive spirit, an indefatigable work ethic, and a love for people, Lucien valued good friends, associates, and students, and he made an extended family of them all.

Born on November 2nd, 1940, he was the son of Lucien Lloyd Bass, Junior, and Mildred Lee Ragland Bass, in Richmond, VA. A graduate of St. Christopher's School, he attended the University of Virginia, where he established a life-long love of The University and its commitment to the principals of honor, service, and the academical mind. While there, he was a member of the Honor Council, the president of the Engineering School, and the president of the Raven Society and he received many awards, including the prestigious Raven Award in 1963 for outstanding contributions to the University. He was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa and Tau Beta Pi and he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from the Darden School.

Lucien met the other love of his life, Mary Brush Bass, as a counselor at a summer camp. Mary was a riding instructor at the girls' camp. Lucien and Mary married in 1962 at R.E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church in Lexington, VA. After graduation, they moved to Winston-Salem, NC where Lucien began his career. Lucien and Mary soon welcomed their daughter, Mary "Molly" Conover Bass. As she grew up, he supported and encouraged Molly and Mary as they cared for a few horses and many, many dogs.

In Winston-Salem, Lucien worked for the Bahnson Company, a designer, manufacturer, and international builder of industrial air quality systems for the worldwide textile industry. He held a variety of managerial positions in several departments of the company, including the engineering department, and his work involved a lot of international travel to Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. In 1978, he joined R.J. Reynolds Industries.

At R.J. Reynolds, Lucien held several positions within the parent company and its subsidiaries from 1978 to 1999. He had international responsibilities in Business Planning and Development; the Avoca Agricultural Research Division, of which he was general manager; Research and Development; and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco International, from which he retired in 1999 as Senior Director of International Development.

Following that first retirement, Lucien and Mary built and established their home, Bryn Rhaglan, so they could be close to Molly and the University. There, Lucien taught courses in negotiations and in global marketing at the University in the McIntire School. Lucien most enjoyed the interplay of students and colleagues, sharing what he learned in his career, and helping others learn and thrive. In 2020, he retired again after 22 years of teaching.

Lucien impressively served in a multitude of capacities for a plethora of boards and programs. He was a board member and president of the Virginia Engineering Foundation, a trustee for the Darden School Foundation, chair of the Advisory Board for the University of Virginia School of Nursing, chair of the Annual Giving Advisory Board for the University, chair of the University's annual giving program for historic preservation, chair of the advisory board for the University's Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, chair of the University's Cancer Center Advisory Board, and a trustee of the University's School of Engineering and Applied Science.

A lifelong Episcopalian, Lucien started his journey of deep faith as an acolyte at St. Paul's in Richmond and then continued it as a student at St. Christopher's School, as a member of St. Paul's in Winston-Salem, and as a member of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Greenwood, where he also served on the finance committee, as Vestryman, and as a Senior Warden.

The funeral service will be held at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Greenwood on January 24th at 2:00 p.m. Burial will be at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond on January 25th at 11:00 a.m.

Memorial gifts may be made to Emmanuel Episcopal Church, The Molly Bass Memorial Legacy Scholarship at the University of Virginia Alumni Association, or the Virginia Athletics Foundation - Baseball Program.