AKRON – Mary Etta Basham, 87, of Mishawaka, passed at 9:42 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, 2020, at Signature HealthCare of Bremen.
Mary Etta was born on March 14, 1933, in Fulton County, to the late Paul and Aletha May Clinker Cox. She was raised on the family farm near Akron.
She was a graduate of Akron High School in 1951. She then married on May 18, 1952, in Fort Smith, Ark., to Lawrence A. “Larry” Basham, who preceded her in death on March 17, 2015. She and her husband had owned and operated South Bend Pools and 3E Electric & Construction for many years.
Mary Etta was a lifetime member and past president of the National Home Builders Association. She was an avid Notre Dame Fighting Irish fan.
Mary Etta is survived by her daughter, Cindy and husband Richard Osborn, of Mishawaka; and grandsons, Blaine Osborn, of Seattle, Wash.; and Neil and wife Mackenzie Osborn, of Cliffside Park, N.J.
Also surviving are sisters, Helen Cox, Wabash; Pauline and husband Ron Meyer, North Manchester; Willowdean and husband James Zolman, Columbia City; Patsy and husband James Carpenter, Rochester; Jean Kerby, Greentown; and Jane and husband Wayne Spratt, Silver Lake.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Larry Basham; and siblings, Earl Cox, Milton Cox, Dale Cox, Floyd Cox, Genavee Snavely and Gail Grable.
A celebration of Mary Etta’s life is being planned in the coming months. A private burial will take place in the Akron Cemetery, Akron.
The arrangements have been entrusted to Hartzler Funeral Home, 305 W. Rochester St., Akron.
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