Judith Kay Basham

Judith Kay (Pruitt) Basham, 87, of Middlefield, formerly of Indianapolis, Indiana; Chagrin Falls, Ohio; and Nokomis, Florida, and passed away peacefully with her family by her side, at Ohman Family Living at Briar on Monday, March 30, 2026.

Judith was born on January 12, 1939, in Kokomo, Indiana, to the late Leonard and Effie (Gipson) Pruitt. After graduating from Arsenal Technical High School in 1957 and attending some college, she began her career as a mortgage lender with Peoples Bank in Indiana.

After meeting Paul Edward Basham on a blind date and a couple years of dating, they got married in 1960, and together they shared 62 wonderful years filled with love and adventure. One big adventure they had was having a condo in Siesta Key, Florida that they enjoyed as snow birds and also shared many memories with family and friends.

Among their many adventures, they proudly owned and operated four subways in Ohio. If you really knew her, then you knew you would find her at the Chagrin Falls and Willoughby locations that she used as her incognito QVC delivery location so Paul didn’t know that she had an addiction, but he knew.

Judith was deeply involved with her community in many ways. She was a member of the Chagrin Valley Welcome Wagon and served as both past vice president and president of the Tanglewood Women’s Club. She was also a well known top Sales Representative with Avon.

Her two favorite holidays where she went over the top with decorating were Halloween and Christmas. QVC appreciated it and Paul knew it. One of her favorite traditions with Halloween was dressing up as a witch and playing spooky scary music while her and Paul passed out candy. She was a firm believer in Santa Claus and was bound and determined that everyone knew that Santa didn’t wrap his presents.

She had a passion for NASCAR and IndyCar racing and enjoyed cheering on her favorite drivers. While raising their children, Judith was actively involved in being the den mother for Cub Scouts. She supported their participation in sports by being the team mom for football & cheerleading. She was very involved in St. Albans Little League. In her free time, she expressed her creativity through stained glass, sewing, painting, and quilting. She taught ceramics in her basement studios to her friends and neighbors. She still managed to make time to watch her CBS soap operas and poor Victor Newman has lost his number one fan.

Her love for purple ran deep through her veins, carrying generation to generation, down to her great-granddaughters. The love for purple went from her head to her toes, and all the way to Paul’s garage floors. “If it’s purple, it can’t be bad”

Her most favorite job was being the best Memaw out there and she couldn’t be beat. She insisted on being her grandkids' babysitter from the time they were born and then shared them with daycare before they went to Kindergarten. In her later years, one of her most precious moments being with her grandkids was the innocent obstacle courses they had made for her and her walker, you knew she found them when you heard “obstacle course, obstacle course”. She spent her last year in Ohio with her great-granddaughters

Elizabeth and Paisley Rowland. She enjoyed attending their games for softball, soccer, and volleyball, along with their holiday choir concerts. Together they watched Survivor and she got to introduce them to Hallmark movies.

She was also a caretaker of many years for each of the following, her mother; her mother-in-law, Pauline Perry; her son; and her husband. At one point she would find herself trucking from one end of the hospital, down a floor and to the other end of the hospital, for visiting Paul and Brad. Brad always said that it made her strong and built character.

Judith will be greatly missed by her loving family: her daughter, Dawn Basham; her granddaughter Taylor Thomas; great-granddaughters, Elizabeth and Paisley Rowland; her favorite grandson, Robert Basham; and granddaughter, Tanya Thomas; along with many other beloved family members.

She is preceded in death by her parents; her beloved husband, Paul Edward Basham; and her son, Bradley Elliot Basham. The Basham brothers, Grandma Perry, Jennine (Mucha) Basham, Brad and many others have welcomed Judith to the gaming table of Five Crowns and Dominos. We know that they have missed their “favorite” player and couldn’t wait to hear Judith say “now what card is wild?” followed by all of them responding with “count your cards” and at the end of the game Judith wins with her famous words of “I love this game!”

Memorial calling hours will be held at Sly Family Funeral Home at 15670 W. High St, Middlefield on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 from 6:00-8:00 PM. Burial will take place at Crown Hill Funeral Home & Cemetery at 700 W 38th St, Indianapolis, Indiana on Thursday, April 9, 2026 with visitation starting at Noon.