Gregory James Bass

Greg was born April 9, 1962 in Kansas City, MO to Dorothy and Maurice Bass. He grew up in Kansas, Wisconsin, New Jersey and Ohio. He graduated from Shaker Heights High School near Cleveland and attended Wright State University in Dayton as a theater-arts major. Greg’s greatest joys were spending time with his son, Jack, and connecting with, entertaining, and supporting his many friends.

Greg held an interesting variety of jobs throughout his life, from a stint doing lights and sound at the Yale Repertory Theater in New Haven, CT (where he met and got to hang out with Katherine Hepburn), to driving Southern roads in his big carpet-cleaning supply van, to selling life insurance, to working for his father, Maury, at the M. R. Bass Company. He also spent some time giving diving lessons as a Certified Divemaster in Florida and Tonga. (Greg learned to dive in caves, in land-locked Illinois.) While in Tonga he also did a stint as a deckhand on a sailboat, where Greg was known for telling extremely long shaggy-dog stories to pass the time on the night watch.

In Augusta, Greg (or Gregger, as he was known locally) had a passion for supporting local artists. Young or old, novice or accomplished, Greg would do whatever he could to encourage their growth and success, and often he was an artist’s first sale. Greg also was also involved with and supported Augusta Pride. And of course, Greg bought a lot of art, filling the walls of his Augusta home with the works of local artists that he befriended.

Greg’s life was disrupted by leukemia when he was 21 years old. While Greg was effectively cured, the aggressive chemotherapy involved laid the foundation for a series of health setbacks throughout his life that ended in heart failure and Greg needing to depend on a heart pump for the past several years. Greg was very creative in inventing clever ways to minimize the limitations of the pump, but he was so looking forward to being free from it and was eagerly waiting for the opportunities a new transplanted heart would afford. He patiently waited for a new heart and in the end, he got his heart. Gregger 2.0! Swimming in his pool again was at the top of his new heart list and we’ll be spreading some of his ashes in his pool later this month because we know that would make him HAPPY.

Greg is survived by his son, Jack; his mother, Dorothy; his two brothers, Eric and Jeff; his sister Julie; and his rescue dog, Flapps. Greg also will be missed by his housemates and caregivers Melyonna, Jonie, Katie and Jesse, and by the many people who loved him in Augusta, Hilton Head, and beyond.

Greg’s family and friends will be honoring his life with one of his requests: an art party where all of the artists hanging on his walls are invited to his home to celebrate his life and honor his memory. And of course, we’ll have lots of 19 Crimes wine and hope to find that FINAL cork to complete his collection! No flowers or gifts are requested. Greg’s family encourages you to honor Gregger by buying a piece of art from an artist near you.