Lt. Colonel Joseph Edward Bassett Sr.

OLD ORCHARD BEACH – Lt. Colonel Joseph Edward Bassett Sr. of the Salvation Army, born on Dec. 1, 1937 in Salamanca, N.Y., was sent to his eternal home on Thursday evening, July 24, 2025, in his home in Old Orchard Beach. He was the beloved husband of Elizabeth (née Brown) and father of Joseph (Jennifer), Todd (Sallie) and Heather (Micah).

Joe, affectionately known as Pakka, is also survived by his 12 grandchildren, Abbie (Drew), Jordan (Lauren), Brittany (Kyle), Tiffany (Daniel), Isaiah, Ashley (Alex), Emily, Caribeth (Andrew), Cammi, Wesley, Kelsea, and Brady and 6 and half great-grandchildren, Lucy, Luke, Tucker, Ellie, Meredith, Adelaide, and Margot.

Joe’s life was remarkable for his deep faith in God, his unwavering commitment to the service of others, and his love for his family. Joe was a third-generation Salvationist, commissioned as an officer in the Salvation Army in 1959. Joe and Betty were married in 1962 and served in Corps, Divisional, and Territorial appointments until they retired in 2002 to Old Orchard Beach. Joe was well known for his bold and vivid impersonation of General William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, performing across the country.

Joe’s family remember him at his happiest while camping. He was an active volunteer in Boy Scouts, serving as a Scoutmaster, District Commissioner, District Chairman, and National Liaison for the Salvation Army to Boy Scouts of America. Joe shared his love of camping during his service with the Scouts and at the Wilderness Camp he conducted for teenagers at Salvation Army Camps, which he continued to run into his eighties.

Those who knew Joe well will remember him for his commanding presence, his quick wit, his tender heart, and his booming baritone. Joe served the Lord with many gifts—in song, with horn, through preaching, and around a well-built campfire. His wife, children and grandchildren remember him through stories and laughter, shared in overlapping sentences and through teary eyes. To our Pakka, we say, “Glad you met me.”

A celebration of life will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 31, at the Salvation Army Corps, 2 Sixth Street, Old Orchard Beach. Dennett, Craig and Pate Funeral Home, Saco is entrusted with his arrangements.

While women weep, as they do now, I’ll fight; while children go hungry, as they do now I’ll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I’ll fight; while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I’ll fight, I’ll fight to the very end. – General William Booth, 1912.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Old Orchard Beach Corps.