Now I am able express my love for my Uncle BUD. He was a good person. Always willing to lend a hand and he could scare my sister. I was impressed when all else failed, she sucked her fingers and twisted her hair, he handled her with such ease. Mom and Mammy had tried everything they knew to get her out of this habit, pepper on fingers etc. He handled the situation (handled my sister !!!). All he had to do... tell her if she didn't stop Uncle Sam would get her like Uncle Sam got him. She stopped... even though she didn't know Uncle Sam, she was sure if he could get Bud he could get her.  Uncle Bud was the one in the family that was the rough, tough and had enough and you listened to him. He was also an old softy. He took in stray cats, feeding them the best cat food. If he knew you liked a certain album, a special collection (watches, guns, salt shakers...)you might end up with whatever just because he saw it and thought of you. When we were younger it was a great treat to see him because he gone so much to "work for Uncle Sam". As we got older we realized he served in the Air Force to keep us safe. His service was a source of pride... our whole family was proud of him. You knew where you stood with Bud .  Never shy about his opinion or what he thought of your opinion. I was there when he passed. I can tell you he smiled slightly as he passed. I can tell you I was heart broken. What would we do without him. Carry on just as he did in the hard times in his life and look forward to the good times just as he did.

The Baskette family has been our neighbor since we moved here in 1991.  Jim was a wealth of information about the history of our neighborhood and nearly everyone in it.  It seems like he was always retired and as the guy who was home during the day he served as our unofficial Neighborhood Watch and we all were grateful for his observations.  I enjoyed Jim's stories about his military career and we shared lots of stories as my business travels took me to many of his postings such as Spokane, WA and Colorado Springs, CO (Cheyenne Mountain).  Jim's weekly ramblings to estate and garage sales as well as the various flea markets in the area made him our "go to" guy for whatever we were looking for at a bargain.  He loved collecting watches and, of course, each one came with a story.  He even showed my how to get my grandfather's railroad watch working and how to care for it.  When the trees in my yard blocked the sunlight and interfered with a productive garden in my yard, Jim was there again for us sharing his beans and tomatoes from his annual garden.  Jim was fun and interesting to talk with and we spent many an hour talking about the things we collect, our travels and the good and bad of federal retirement.  It was funny to listen to him evaluate each mailman we were assigned.  If you didn't have an opinion on a subject, Jim would gladly lend you one of his.  I enjoyed watching his annual ritual to get grass to grow under his trees in front of his house and then listening to him rail against whatever spirits were conspiring to keep the seeds from germinating or killing the seedlings after they sprouted or the lack of rain making the ground too hard or...  Jim was a great guy and I will miss our conversations at the curb. While we're certainly sad at his passing and we'll miss him dearly, we celebrate a life well lived.  The Layne Family

We had the privilege of living next door to Jim for 31 years. He was considered by all as the rock of our neighborhood. You could not ask for a better neighbor or friend. We will miss him dearly

David & Devie Daws

OBITUARY

James "Bud" Baskette

20 June, 1935 – 6 November, 2013

Kiser-Rose Hill Funeral Home

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