Obituary of Michael Bass

Michael Martin Bass was born on July 21, 1954 in Omaha, Nebraska. For the next 58 years of his life he would be an avid Husker fan. His biological father passed away when Mike was a young child, and a few years later his mother Beverley (Carpenter) Bass married Carl Martin Bass. Carl and Bev had their hands full, because Mike also had a younger brother (Patrick Bass), an older brother (Jeffrey Bass) and his only sister (Diana Schlotfeld). You can just imagine the strict discipline that had to occur in a household that size. But “Mikey” never got in trouble, he always knew right from wrong. As the years went by, the siblings ended up living apart from coast-to-coast, but one thing remained the same, they always went to Mike for sound advice. Mike graduated from Westside High School where he just attended his 40th reunion this past August. He was attending the University of Nebraska at Omaha and was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity when he met a girl through mutual friends named Valerie Bird. A few weeks later, Mike introduced Valerie to his parents at a dinner. As they left, Carl whispered to Bev, “That’s the girl Mike is going to marry!” A year later on June 11, 1976, in Papillion, Nebraska, Mike and Valerie started their 36 wonderful years of memories together. They never had a fight, and Valerie always commented that it was difficult to get mad at a man with that great sense of humor and quick wit. Mike and Valerie lived in Lake Park, IA and Aurora, CO for the first year of their marriage. In August 1977, Cody Pearson interviewed Mike and promised to teach him everything he would ever need to know to be a good banker. Mike accepted the teller position and drove into Hugo, CO (the same size as his high school graduation class) in his beloved Ford Pinto. Cody kept his promise and not only became Mike’s mentor, but as Mike would tell everyone, “Cody is just like a father to me.” Mike became the First National Bank of Hugo's President and CEO in 1994. He was responsible for opening and overseeing the branch banks in Limon and Leadville. He was a Bank Board member since 1984. Small town living was the perfect fit for Mike and Valerie, so they decided to make Lincoln County their home and start a family. Their first child (Jonathan Martin Bass) arrived in 1981 and as time went by they became best friends and shared many interests, including the NY Yankees. Daddy’s little girl aka the princess (Katherine Ann Bass) arrived in 1987. Mike loved being a dad and would get the kids ready for school every morning. Even though he had difficulty mastering Katie’s ponytails and pulling on her tights, he never complained. He attended every sporting event that the kids played or cheered in. Mike valued education, and was so proud that both his children and future daughter-in-law (Kayci Crum) are Elementary School Teachers. Over the years Mike was very active in the community, state and region. Some of these volunteer activities included: coaching Little League, being a Boy Scout Leader, teaching Religious Education classes, being a charter member of the Hugo Lions Club, being an active member of the Bishop’s Diocesan Council, teaching financial literacy in an afterschool program, chairing the Plains Medical Board, being actively involved in his Catholic Faith and many other committees. Mike was always a strong advocate for community banking. He served on the Independent Bankers of Colorado (IBC) Board and was the Chair in 2006. He also served on various IBC committees. Mike was currently serving his third nonconsecutive term on the board of directors of the Bankers’ Bank of the West and Bankers’ Bank of the West Bancorp, Inc. He was just asked to serve a three year term and represent community bankers on the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's Community De0pository Institutions Advisory Council. On Saturday, December 29, 2012, Mike was getting ready to make his daily run out to the Limon airport to check on his plane. He loved to fly and would always come back from a flight and say, “It’s still like magic!” But the Lord had a tee time planned in heaven for Mike, and so, on this day, at his home, a pulmonary embolism would take his life. He will be laid to rest at Mount Calvary Cemetery near the sand greens of the Hugo Golf Course. Mike is survived by his wife; children; brothers and sister; mother-in-law, Eunice Bird; uncle & aunt, Dr. and Mrs. Robert Bass; several relatives and extended family, including his fellow Bank Board Members and dedicated bank employees, golfing and airplane pilot buddies. Mike was preceded in death by his parents; father-in-law, Rodney Bird; brother-in-law, Stephen Bird; and sister-in-law, Lanette Bird.