Longtime Chadbourn town board member Donald Ray Bass died Saturday at his home.
Bass, 72, was known for his fiscal conservatism and love of youth sports. A tireless proponent of Chadbourn, he was retired from DuPont in Leland, and had served in the U.S. Army and Reserves. Bass was elected to the town board in 2007.
Bass was a lifelong and passionate fan of the UNC Tar Heels, and was rarely without a UNC logo on a shirt or jacket. When Fax Rector resigned in 2016, Bass was appointed as mayor. Every mayor is traditionally photographed in a red blazer, commemorating Chadbourn’s history as a strawberry center. There was a question whether Bass would follow the tradition, since red is also the color of UNC rival N.C. State University.
He is survived by his wife Alice, two daughters a brother and several grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Chadbourn Baptist Church with Dr. David Vess and Reverend Willard McPherson officiating. A viewing will be held from 1-2:15 p.m. at Worthington Funeral Home. Interment will follow the funeral service in the Chadbourn Memorial Cemetery.
The family has asked that memorials be made to the Chadbourn Parks and Recreation Department or the American Heart Society.
