Mary Carroll Basham

Mary Carroll Basham, 90, of Given, formerly of Dawes, passed away peacefully in her sleep at home in the presence of her family on November 18. We are saddened that Mary has left us, but we take solace in the fact that Mary was a saved, born again Christian, first and foremost in her life. We believe in God’s Word that when a born again Christian passes away they are not alone, but angels accompany them on their journey to Heaven. We rejoice that her suffering is at an end, she is now in paradise, and that we will be reunited with her there for all eternity someday. Mary was truly a Proverbs 31 virtuous woman. She loved Jesus with all her heart. She served God with all of her heart, mind, and soul. She sought his will for her life and followed his ways. Mary had faith through good times and bad times. She believed in God’s word that, “He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved.” Needless to say, she would speak her mind with great conviction on issues of right and wrong according to God’s word; however, on occasion it would find its way over into politics as well. She was a faithful wife to Doyleloyd for 73 years. They maintained a happy family even as it grew by leaps and bounds by four generations. They enjoyed life and made lots of happy memories. Later on, when they moved to the farm in Given, she chose her love for Doyleloyd over the isolation of the farm lifestyle. She was a loving mother to her four daughters. She taught them in the ways of God’s Word. She nurtured her children with the love of Christ, disciplined them with care and wisdom and trained them in the way they should go. Mary made sure her daughters were raised with Christian values during a time when morality was questioned at every turn. Woe to the boyfriends if they got out of line! Her daughters, in turn, passed those values on to their families. Each successive generation will have Mary’s fingerprints of Christian values. She took care of her physical, mental, and spiritual health for her family. Mary was spry and prissy. Physically, she kept in shape with hard work taking care of the home, raising four daughters, and helping with the grandchildren. She maintained her mental health by keeping up with current events, sewing and gardening. She kept up her spiritual health by reading the Bible every day, attending Church when the doors were open, and in the Methodist Women’s Society. She was active in the churches she attended: as a member of the Dawes Methodist Church and, more recently, the United in Christ Church in Cottageville. Mary was active in the services. She never passed an opportunity to testify for God. She freely spoke of the good things God had done for her. She knew if she testified, it would recommend God to everyone as a great solution to any of life’s problems, and that it could lead someone to salvation. Her testimony was a powerful act of worship. Mary also never passed the opportunity to pray openly either and she took her time to cover everything on her heart. Sometimes they seemed rather lengthy particularly before a good meal when we were hungry and the good smell of food was in the air. She touched so many lives through her works. She bore much fruit. She served her husband, family, friends, and neighbors with love and kindness and expected nothing in return. She also believed that faith without works is dead. Mary shared her faith by nurturing relationships of trust. She was industrious and worked with willing hands. She did not spend her time on things that did not please the Lord. She was a good manager of her home and a hard worker. She knew how to get the most value out of what Doyleloyd brought in. She did without, so that her family could have more, but you would never know it. She was gracious and created an atmosphere of warmth and love for her family and guests. Her house was always neat and well maintained. Her kids were always clean and well-dressed or they didn’t leave the house! Mary saw that their home was a Christian home. She always maintained order and, when the activities would get a little too raucous or the language would get a little too colorful, Mary would step in. Especially, when Doyleloyd was the ring leader, which was most of the time. She was a woman of worth and beauty. She had an inner beauty that only comes from Christ. She had an outer beauty too, that she passed along to her daughters. Her smile would light up a room. She used her creativity and sense of style to create beauty in her life and in the lives of her loved ones. She and her daughters were always impeccably dressed. Unfortunately, she couldn’t do the same with Doyleloyd. Now these are the words Paul wrote near his execution that apply to the way Mary lived her life, “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” Mary was a good daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, great grandmother, great-great grandmother and friend. She had a life well lived! Mary was preceded in death by her mother and father, her siblings Wilma Nichols, Phyllis Cline, Nancy Robinette and Thomas Hudnall, her daughter Landra Martin and her grandson Scott Baria. Mary is survived by her husband, Doyleloyd, at home; four daughters, Gayla Baria (Robert) of Dunbar, Vicki Smith (Ron) of Belle, Kimla Massey (Mark) of Hurricane, and Landra Martin’s husband, Jimmy of Nitro; sisters, Francis Lopez of Nitro, and Teressa Fannin (Gary) of Ashland, KY. Also surviving are grandchildren Christopher Baria, Amber Creathers, Nicholas Creathers, Ronnie Smith Jr., Christie Fletcher, Joshua Massey, and Seth Martin, 17 great grandchildren, and 5 great-great grandchildren. Mary is also survived by two unofficially adopted “Jackson County” daughters: Tammy Lewis and Bernice Guthrie. They meant the world to her. The Basham family would like to acknowledge the following for wonderful care they gave to Mary: Dr. Ashish Sheth and his staff; her excellent caregivers, Midge Johnson and Susan Foster; the Nurses from HospiceCare; and, Pastor Kevin Jennings, whom she dearly loved. Mary was sure a service for her passing would be an emotionally painful event so she requested that there be no service. The family requests that if you wish to honor Mary with a memorial gift, please provide a donation on her behalf to HospiceCare, 1606 Kanawha Blvd W, Charleston, WV 25387-2536