Mary Jon Bass

Mary Jon Bass

A Celebration of Life for Mary Jon (Whitfield) Bass will be held at Highland Park Presbyterian Church on Wednesday, January 11, 2023. Pastor L. Nelson Bell will officiate the Sanctuary service at 1pm. A reception will be held in the Hunt Building Lobby following the service. The family will have a private burial.

Ebullient, joyful and optimistic, Mary Jon was the second child born to O.S and Edna Whitfield on June 1, 1940 in Plano, TX. In her later years, she loved to emphasize her hometown as ‘Plain – O’ because she relished the simple and rural upbringing that she and her classmates of Plano Senior High, Class of 1958 all enjoyed. In the quiet moments of her youth, she adored afternoons with her wise grandfather George. Learning and dancing —Mary excelled at both.

Tap dancing was the soundtrack of her childhood, and in college she found a bigger stage: Kilgore Junior College where she was a member of the world famous Rangerettes. Being on the drill team line, she performed in the Dallas Cotton Bowl and New York’s Thanksgiving Day Parades. It was at Kilgore Junior College where she met the love of her life, Richard “Dick” Bass, who had returned to Kilgore after playing basketball at University of Oklahoma. They married after a short courtship and finished their college years at Louisiana Tech where Mary Jon was a Magna Cum Laude double major.

Their first child was born in Ruston, LA, then the Basses moved to Dallas and welcomed 3 more children. Mary Jon’s home was always full of friends, family, neighbors, and guests who knew the front door was always open. She could throw a ‘house divided’ Texas/OU party when her kids were in college in a flash! Or, when hosting others in Colorado, she and Dick could host a riverside fish fry with ease. Holidays and Sundays were full of family and laughter. She was an excellent student who encouraged and challenged her own children to always help us ‘see’ and apply what we learned. She distributed discipline, direction, and devotion with equal fervor and you always knew where you stood with her.

Mary Jon and Dick loved to travel. From the Texas Hill country to Hawaii, Canada and many trips to Europe they enjoyed many sites that she had fully researched before leaving on their trip. Reoccurring travels with both family and their OU basketball group kept them busy in their later years. But their family cabin in Colorado was Mary Jon’s retreat. First at Elk Creek Ranch and then in Lake City, Mary loved their mountain homes. Being a voracious reader, she spent hours rocking on the front porch with a book while ‘watching’ her kids enjoy the freedom that the cool summer days provided. She must have used these days to regroup for her busy life back in Dallas. Soccer coach, Cheer Mom, Boy Scout Den Mother, Bradfield PTA, Bradfield Home Room Mom and Children’s Medical Center volunteer were just a few of her many community activities.

She was a lifelong member of Highland Park Presbyterian Church where she danced with the Sacred Dance choir, taught Sunday School and VBS, was a circle leader, organized blood drives and coordinated the church directory. But her greatest role was “Meemom” to her 11 grandchildren. She rarely missed a performance or game and taught us all about the importance of being present and being encouraging to all.

Her love for the Highland Park Scots, the Oklahoma Sooners, her family and her Lord never faded. Mary Jon was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Dick and her older brother Billy Joe and Avalon Whitfield. She is survived by her four children: Marcy Bass, Mike and Brooke Bass, Carrie and Kyle Green, and Kathy and Dan Elliott, as well as countless nieces and nephews. To her eleven grandchildren - Kelsey, Michael, & Grace Bass, Brant, Bryce and Elise Green, & Taylor, Brandon and Blake Seacat, Morgan Elliot and Miranda Feemster you were her love, life and ultimate joy on this earth.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Highland Park Presbyterian Youth Missions (3821 University Blvd, Dallas, TX 75205) or Brother Bills Helping Hand (PO Box 565846, Dallas, TX 75365 or online bbhh.org)

We would like to thank the wonderful staff at Monticello West, where Mom spent her final months. The caregiving staff showed great compassion and loved mom so well.