Myrtle Lamme Bashara

Myrtle Frances Lamme Bashara was born in Cameron, Texas on January 7, 1938, to Anthony Patrick “Tony” Lamme and Frances Laura “Fannie” Holloway Lamme. She died in the arms of her loving grandson, Joseph Bashara III, on August 24, 2021, in her home in Austin, Texas. Myrtle was a life-long Texan--she lived, worked, grew her faith, and raised her family in Austin. She was a woman of strength, resilience, perseverance, sometimes stubbornness, and always grace. Myrtle attended and graduated from S.F. Austin High, where she met her husband, Joseph C. Bashara. She married Joseph in 1958 at St. Mary’s Cathedral. They had a rich and fulfilling life together for over 53 years before his passing. Myrtle was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother; she was blessed with four children and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She faced life’s challenges with a poised smile and always found solace and hope within her family and her faith.

As a young adult Myrtle responded to a magazine ad placed by the Knights of Columbus to find out more about Catholicism. Myrtle converted to Catholicism and lived that faith with all her heart, mind and strength. She was a member of the Catholic Daughters of America and the Ladies’ Altar Society in her parish. Myrtle and her husband, Joseph, were a founding family of the only Maronite Church in Austin, Our Lady’s Maronite Catholic Church. She served on the founding board and later the finance council. She received the Silver Massabki Medal from the National Apostolate of Maronites for her work in Our Lady’s. Myrtle found deep fulfillment when educating the young children about the love of God by teaching in the Religious Education program for many years at Our Lady’s. She spent countless hours every year preparing and distributing Christmas Stockings on Christmas Eve and Easter eggs on Easter morning to all the children of her parish.

Myrtle was the matriarch of her family. Growing up the eldest of 7 children, Myrtle had a deep maternal instinct and selfless spirit. She took pride in enhancing her children’s and grandchildren’s lives by encouraging education, supporting their schooling, developing their faith, and enriching their lives so they could grow to be strong and compassionate adults. “Granny camp” was the most anticipated event of the summer for Myrtle’s grandchildren.

Myrtle’s strong will and discipline reflected her proud roots as a Texan woman. She was always challenging her mind; she loved reading and taking classes at St. Edwards University. She believed in the virtue of hard work and enjoyed an over 60-year career with the Internal Revenue Service, UT Austin, Volunteers for Educational and Social Services (VESS), Chuck’s Automotive, and the City of Austin’s Watershed Protection Department, until her retirement at age 80. She took on every task with determination, and despite starting in the late fifties as a typist, she developed her office skill through the decades and became very proficient at learning new software.

Myrtle was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her two sons, Joseph Bashara, Jr. (Mara) and Thomas Bashara (Christine), and five of her siblings. She is survived by her two daughters, who live in San Antonio, Texas, Laura Mery, Ph.D. (Michael) and Rose Karam, Ph.D. (Raymond), 19 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren, of whom she was very proud, and her brother, Charles Lamme, of Taylor, Texas.

The family will receive visitors on Friday, September 3, 2021, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Cook-Walden Funeral Home on North Lamar in Austin, Texas. Funeral services will be held at Our Lady’s Maronite Catholic Church, 1320 E. 51st Street, Austin, Texas 78723, on Saturday, September 4, 2021, beginning with the Holy Rosary at 10 a.m., followed by the Divine Liturgy. Pallbearers are grandsons, Christopher Mery, Elias Karam, Joseph Bashara, III and Thomas Bashara, and sons-in-law, Michael Mery and J. Raymond Karam. Honorary pallbearers are grandsons, James Bashara and Philip Bashara, and great-grandsons, James Boothroyd, Henry Murray Boothroyd, Majed Jeroudi, and Youssef Jeroudi.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.cookwaldenfuneralhome.com for the Bashara family.