Elder W. Mark Bassett passed away on May 11 following a traumatic brain injury, as per The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was 59.
The Church said that he was with his family in St. George at the time of the tragic incident. He served as a General Authority Seventy since April 2016.
At the moment of his passing, Bassett held the position of acting executive director of the Missionary Department.
“We are deeply saddened at the sudden passing of Elder W. Mark Bassett, a General Authority Seventy who had been serving since April of 2016,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said in its statement. “Our love and prayers are with his dear wife, Angela, his children and his grandchildren during this difficult time.”
Church leaders mentioned that Bassett’s tenure coincided with a time of significant expansion and elevated involvement in missionary work. He was an experienced leader who had earlier held positions in area presidencies throughout Brazil and the US over the past ten years.
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Bassett was born on August 14, 1966, in California’s Carmichael to Edwina Acker and William Lynn Bassett.
He dedicated two years to a full-time mission in the Guatemala Guatemala City Mission from 1985 to 1987. Upon his return, he enrolled at Brigham Young University, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1991.
During his time at BYU, he engaged in a long-distance courtship with Angela Brasher, a young woman from his hometown in the Sacramento area. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on December 20, 1989.
The couple raised five children together. Bassett pursued a career in the wholesale auto auction industry, initially serving as the controller at Brasher’s Sacramento Auto Auction and subsequently as the chief financial officer and co-owner of West Coast Auto Auctions Inc. This business conducted auctions throughout California, Oregon, Nevada, and Idaho.
In 2007, Bassett and his wife were appointed to preside over the Arizona Mesa Mission, a three-year role that represented a transition to full-time church leadership. He had previously held various positions, including ward Young Men president, bishop, stake president, and Area Seventy.
Colleagues and family members characterized Bassett as considerate, humble, and profoundly attentive to others. His wife, Sister Angela Bassett, once remarked on his kindness: “He remembers people, and he’s always quietly doing things for others.”
