More detail on this person: Paul 'Sam' Bass
had been a member of the Otter Caribou
Association 20 years and had flown Otters with the
12th Aviation Company.
Major Paul "Sam" Willis Bass (Retired) very
peacefully passed into the loving arms of his
Savior on the morning of July 27, 2010. His
family was by his side. He leaves his daughter
and son-in-law, Melissa Kaye and Dan Hutts; three
grandchildren, Jackson, Madison, and Samantha,
his namesake; nieces and nephews; and a wealth
of friends.
Paul was born May 19, 1927, the son of the late
Frank C. Bass, Jr. and Grace Potter Bass. Paul
entered the U.S. Navy in October of 1942, at the
age of 15, to serve our country in WWII.
Following his wartime service with the Navy, Paul
enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served 23 years
active-duty attaining the rank of Major. Paul,
nicknamed "Sam" during flight school, served in
the Korean Conflict and the Viet Nam War. While
stationed at Ft. Sill in 1959, Paul met his bride,
Carolyn Kay, the former "Miss Lawton" and they
married in 1960. Carolyn and Sam had a marriage
of great love and devotion lasting 45 years until
her death in 2005.
Paul served as a flight instructor and test pilot
flying both rotor-aircraft and fixed wings.
During his flight career, Paul enjoyed acrobatic
flying at international military air shows as well
as being a test pilot and flight instructor. He
retired from active duty and immediately began
"flying from a desk". Paul enjoyed a 30-year
career with the Department of Defense as project
manager and foreign liaison on various helicopter
programs but most notably, the Apache. During
Paul's 53-year military career, he received
numerous awards and decorations, foremost of
which was his induction into the Honorable Order
of St. Michael Silver Award presented upon
retirement.
After retiring, Paul and Carolyn relocated to
Plano, Texas where they could be close to Melissa,
Dan and their grandchildren. Paul enjoyed
numerous activities and frequent visits with all
three of his grandchildren.
He was a member and supporter of various
organizations, including the Army Otter-Caribou
Association, Army Aviation Association of America
and the Masonic Lodge Mt. Scott No. 540. Paul
was a member of First Baptist Church of
Richardson, Richardson, Texas where he enjoyed
fellowship with his Bible study class and Thursday
morning breakfast group.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, July
30th, 2010 at 1:30 p.m. at Becker Funeral Home,
1502 NW Ft. Sill Blvd., Lawton, OK 73507 followed
by internment at Sunset Memorial Gardens,
Lawton, OK.
Loving remembrances can be made to the Disabled
American Veterans at
https://www.dav.org/CommandersClub/DonorInfo.as
px or (859) 441-7300.
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site: 11/02/2023
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