Janice Irene LeBuis Bassler

BERNE — Janice Irene LeBuis Bassler, a Berne native and life-long resident, was active in the Hilltown community and enjoyed entertaining family and friends with her husband.  Mrs. Bassler died on Thursday, April 10, 2008.  She was 72. 

“Janice was an enthusiast for family and social life,” said her family in a tribute.  “She and Pete enjoyed frequent entertaining of family, friends, and large community gatherings at the family pond and cabin.  Her gardens there reflected her energetic and meticulous character.” 

The oldest of Doris and Leo LeBuis’s seven children, Mrs. Bassler was born during the Depression and had a “take-charge” personality, said her daughter, Debra Bajouwa.  She graduated in 1953 from Berne-Knox High School.  She then worked at General Electric in Schenectady, where she contributed to one of the earliest computerized payroll systems. 

In 1956, she married her high-school sweetheart, Fred “Pete” Bassler, while he was in the United States Army, serving in Alaska.  She dedicated herself to her family and was the proud mother of three daughters — Terrice, Debra, and Sharon. 

For many years, Mrs. Bassler worked evenings and weekends at the Zwicklbauer Hofbrau restaurant on Warners Lake. 

An active member of the Hilltown community, she served for many years as the volunteer ambulance dispatcher.  During elections, she staffed local polling stations.  At the Berne Dutch Reformed Church, she sang in the choir and served in many capacities. 

A skilled hand at bridge, Mrs. Bassler played competitively and was a regular at Studio Bridge in Schenectady.  She was also an avid reader and devoured biographies and novels and was curious about the world around her and always eager to express her perspective. 

Later in her life, Mrs. Bassler knitted over 700 scarves.  She also traveled widely with her husband, visiting four continents and 49 of the 50 states.  She delighted in planning trips and ferreting out special places to stay and sights to see.  In the winter of 2007, the couple traveled to Hawaii, Australia, and New Zealand. 

In 1997, with great joy, Mrs. Bassler welcomed the birth of her granddaughters, Abigail and Sarah, twin girls born to her daughter, Sharon, and her son-in-law, Scott. 

“The girls’ daily lives, love for their grandmother, Mima, and accomplishments were among the greatest pleasures of her final years,” said her family.  “She felt fortunate that Debra and husband Haytham moved in just down the road to restore Peter and Sarah Bassler’s family home.  The humanitarian career and global adventures of her daughter Terrice were a source of keen interest and connection to the wider world.” 

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Mrs. Janice Irene LeBuis Bassler is survived by her devoted husband of almost 52 years, Fred “Pete” Bassler, and her three daughters, Terrice Bassler of Altamont, and her partner, Brad deYoung; Debra Bajouwa, and her husband, Haytham, of Berne; and Sharon Forman, and her husband, Scott, of Altamont.  She is also survived by five siblings — Robert LeBuis, and his wife, Roberta, of Barneveld, N.Y.; Marlene Boomhower, and her husband, Dennis, of Westerlo; Donald LeBuis, and his wife, Donna, of Mokena, Ill.; Charis Cummings, and her husband, Dennis, of Wilton, N.Y.; and Dennis LeBuis of Selkirk, N.Y.  Mrs. Bassler is also survived by her beloved aunt, Margaret Filkins, of Westerlo; her brother-in-law, Merritt Chamberlain, of Scottsdale, Ariz.; and two granddaughters, Sarah and Abigail Forman, of Altamont.  She is also survived by 19 nieces and nephews and numerous grandnieces, grandnephews, great-grandnieces, great-grandnephews, and cousins. 

Her granddaughter, Clea Bassler, and her sister, Diane Chamberlain, died before her as did her grandmother, Nettie S. Filkins, and her uncle, Clyde Filkins. 

A funeral service was held Sunday and burial was in the Fairview Cemetery.  The Fredendall Funeral Home in Altamont made the arrangements. 

Memorial contributions may be made to the Friends of the Berne Library Capital Fund, care of C. Anderson, Post Office Box 42, Berne, NY 12023 for a new or renovated building. 

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Anna Sacco Bell

Anna Sacco Bell, a homemaker who liked to help others, died on Wednesday, April 9, 2008 at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany. She was 85.

“Anna was always volunteering and helping others, and took great pride in helping at St. Lucy’s Church in Altamont, the Guilderland Elks, and the Helderbrg Rod and Gun Club among others,” her family wrote in a tribute. “After moving to Atria Assisted Living Center in 2006, she quickly engaged in volunteering in community activities and managing their ‘Country Store.’”

Mrs. Bell was born Anna Elizabeth Leuchten on Oct. 7, 1922 in Muenster, Germany. When she was 7, she immigrated to the United States with her brother, John, and her mother, Matilda, to join their father, John. He had found a home on Livingston Avenue and worked in Albany.

She attended St. Joseph’s Academy in Albany. As a teenager, she loved to help her mother cook and bake and would visit her father in his specialty shoe store on Clinton Avenue.

She married the late Nicholas Sacco in 1945 and moved to Altamont, where they had two sons, Charles and Joseph. She married the late Norman Bell in 1983.

She is survived by two sons, Charles Sacco of Altamont, and Joseph Sacco of Alexandria, Va.; two grandchildren, Steven Sacco of Fairfax, Va., and Natalie Sacco of Moriches, N.Y.; two sisters-in-law, Ilse Leuchten of Albany, and Dorothy Sacco of Voorheesville; and the four children of her late brother, John — Rosemarie, Helen, Kurt, and Carl and many other nieces and nephews.

A mass of Christian burial was held on Monday at St. Lucy’s Church in Altamont. Arrangements were made by the Fredendall Funeral Home of Altamont.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Lucy’s Church Food Drive, Post Office Box 678, Altamont, NY  12009 or to Community Caregivers, Post Office Box 523, Altamont, NY  12009.