Frederick Bass (22 Nov 1929 - 24 Nov 2022)

Fred was born in London on 22nd Nov 1929. He was the only child of Arthur James Bass and Dorothy May Nightingale.

As a boy, he attended St. Dunstan’s College, a public school in south London. He played for the school’s First XV rugby team and was a member of the Combined Cadet Force.

Fred married Joyce Clark on 19th Aug 1950. They had two sons: Philip (b. 31st Jan 1952) and Lawrence (b. 24 Sep 1954). The family lived in London until the late eighties. Both sons attended their father’s school thanks to local authority grants. For the children, it was a secure and happy home.

Some years after the boys had left home, Fred and Joyce moved to Milton Keynes, where they stayed for more than 30 years.

Fred’s second son, Lawrence, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer in 2010 and died at the end of that year. Lawrence had a daughter who was put into foster care in her teenage years. Philip had moved to York in 1997, so there were no longer any adult relatives nearby. Joyce and Fred took full advantage of the opportunity to please themselves, going out on day trips or simply enjoying each other's company.

Fred's first job when he left school was with a small insurance company. He remained with the company when it was taken over by General Accident. He became a senior executive dealing with high value motor accident claims and briefing the company’s barristers in court cases. When he reached retirement age, he set up his own company and continued to provide consultancy services to his previous employer and to the Motor Insurers’ Bureau.

Fred enjoyed listening to classical music; he particularly liked to tune in to "Carols from Kings" on the television at Christmas time. But he was also a fan of Tina Turner. He was interested in photography, too, always taking a camera with him on days out and holidays.

Fred joined the Freemasons as a young man and made many friends through his lodge. Later in life, he joined his local U3A in Milton Keynes and served as the Secretary of that organisation for a while.

Fred’s wife, in her later years, suffered from heart disease and diabetes. He became her full-time carer until her death in 2013.

Fred embraced new technology throughout his life. He was comfortable with his multiple Apple devices and the software that came with them. He almost never felt he needed to ask for advice from Philip, his computer programmer son.

Fred's mobility was impaired after a fall, but he could get around with a stick or a walking frame. He was never on medication and never needed nursing care even in his early nineties.

Eventually, Fred was persuaded that it was time to move closer to his elder son, where he could be better cared for. Philip and his partner, Mary, arranged an apartment for him in a retirement complex in Ruddington village to the south of Nottingham, and he moved there on 13th September 2022.

Sadly, Fred died there on 24th November 2022 a little over two months after moving in and just two days after his 93rd birthday. He leaves a son (Philip) and a granddaughter (Jazmin).