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Herbert Basener

February 2, 1921 - October 1, 2024


Obituary


Herbert Basener, 103, of Meservey, passed away on Tuesday,  October 1, 2024 at the Sheffield Care Center.

Funeral service will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, October 26, 2024, at Ewing Funeral Home, 111 Luick’s Lane South in Belmond. Burial with military honors will be at the Meservey Cemetery. Click the following link to watch the funeral live stream.  https://meet.goto.com/591499541

Visitation will be from 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM at the funeral home on Saturday.

Herbert was born February 2, 1921 to Ernest Eduard and Vessa Verona (Young) Basener in Gilman, Wisconsin. As a small child he moved with his parents to Montana where he graduated from 8th grade. In 1935 the family moved near Ute in southern Iowa and in 1937 to a farm near Meservey where he graduated as valedictorian from Meservey High School in 1939. He helped his father farm and attended Iowa State College (now ISU) three winter quarters before registering for the WW II Army Air Force in 1942. He completed his basic training in Coffeyville, KS followed by training as a mechanic in Biloxi, MS; Ypsilanti, MI; Laredo, TX; Salt Lake City, UT; and Tuscon, AZ. In March, 1944 he traveled via the SS Saturnia to Sudbury, England where he served as crew chief working on B24’s and B17’s until his return to the US in July, 1945, through Iceland via the last plane on which he had worked.  He was a member of the 8th Air Force, 486th Bomb Group, 834thSquadron.

On June 6, 1946 Herbert married Frances Vivian Wendel at the Salem EUB church in Meservey. They farmed near Thornton for a short time and then by Meservey and were blessed with five children. In addition to growing crops, he raised cattle, hogs, and chickens. He continued to farm until later in his life.  After Frances’ death he married Voral Schluter. He later moved and lived in Clarion and Belmond. Until he was no longer able, he continued to help with farming projects and cutting down trees. In December, 2022 he moved to the Sheffield Care Center.

Herbert’s faith was very important to him. He was baptized as a youth at the Church of Christ in 1935 in Ute, IA and continued living out his faith by serving in many capacities over the years at the Salem EUB/United Methodist Church in Meservey.

Herbert was preceded in death by his parents, an infant brother Ernest John Basener; his first wife in 1997; his second wife in 2003; his daughter Nancy Zink in 2023; his brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law Roland and Aileen Wendel and Warren and Mildred McFate; his sons-in-law Jerry Baughman, Al Durbin, Martin Kroeze, Tom Dailey.

His memory will continue in the hearts and minds of his family. He is survived by his son Lawrence (Wanda), their children Chris, Clint (Amy-Alexis Hurlburt), Cherie (Gornayl Beliard) and grandchildren Elle (Chao) Tang, John Harriss, Orienne, Solomon, Annasten, Drew; daughter Velma (Bob Lehman) Durbin, their children Robert Baughman, Nancy (Ronnie) Bohrn, Carolyn (Scott) Hall and grandchildren Angel, Ty, Hallie, Katie, Sydnie and great grandchildren Zaylie, Zane, Logan, Sterling, Luke; daughter Evelyn Dailey, her daughter Crystal (Heath) Wilken and granddaughters Lillian, Amelia;  son David (Donna), their children Nicole (Larry) Gutman, Nathan (Shauna), David Daniel, Danielle (Jarod) Bailey and grandchildren Gabriel (Serenity), Ezekiel, Malachi, Jonathan, Stephen, Samantha, Reuben, Georgia, Savannah, Waverly, Leyla, Camille, Camryn; son-in-law Tony Zink; several step children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Herbert's name to be used at the family's discretion.