More detail on this person: James Michael
Basta, (LTC Ret.), 72, a Tampa resident for over
30 years, passed away on Tuesday, April 24.
James graduated from the University of Scranton in
1961 and entered the Army through the ROTC
program in which he was a distinguished military
graduate and commissioned a Second Lieutenant.
He retired as a Lt. Colonel after 24 years of
active military service, which included tours of
duty in Germany, Taiwan, and three years in
Vietnam during the war where he flew both fixed
wing and helicopter aircraft. He was awarded
numerous medals, including the Legion of Merit,
Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, two
Purple Hearts, Meritorious Service Medal, Air
Medal, and Army Commendation Medal. James
was a member of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots
Association of Florida (VHPAF). He pulled their
static display helicopter to events all over the
state, including numerous veterans' functions,
parades, and schools educating the public and
especially children on aviation and the Vietnam
War.
He is predeceased by his parents, Michael and
Mary Gallia Basta; and a brother, Joseph, of Old
Forge, Pa. He is survived by his wife of 50 years,
the former Marie Honcharik, his high school
sweetheart; and his four children, James, Robert,
Michalene Yoder and Christine Rooth; nine
grandchildren, Briana, Aaron and Benjamin Basta;
William, Jennifer and Rachel Yoder; and Joseph,
Madison and Michael Rooth.
A funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on
Friday at St. Timothy Catholic Church. The
interment will be at the Florida National Cemetery
at 2:00 p.m. The family will receive friends on
Thursday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. at St. Timothy
Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers, donations can
be made to VHPAF at Veterans Memorial Park,
3602 US Hwy. 301 N., Tampa, FL 33619; or St.
Timothy Catholic Church Youth Building Fund,
17512 Lakeshore Rd., Lutz, FL 33558. Words of
comfort may be expressed at Loy
lessFuneralHome. Loyless Funeral Home,
813-996-6610.
Published in Scranton Times on April 25, 2012
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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