Obituary of Kathleene Lang Basil

On March 22nd, Kathleene L. Basil of Chatsworth, California, passed into God's Kingdom. Kathy was 78 years old and died in the company of her loving husband of 55 years, Richard V. Basil, Jr. She is also survived by her sons, Erik and Kriss, daughters-in-law Chrystal and Sarah, grandchildren Joseph, Thomas and Sally, and sisters Dianne, Francis and Sally. Kathy was preceded into heaven by her older brother James, her beloved father and mother George and Rosalie Lang and her mother's second husband, Jerry. Born as Kathleene Anne Lang, in Dayton Ohio, she attended college at Kent State University for her Bachelor's Degree, where she was a member of the Delta Gamma Sorority and Vice President of the Student Body. Kathy came to visit California for the summer of 1958 where she met a young engineer, who was finishing a Master's Degree at USC. This began a romance extending to their marriage in Dayton on June 27, 1959 and onward to her passing. Shortly after their wedding, Dick and Kathy packed up her father's car and drove to California to begin a life and family they built together. Kathy began her career teaching English at Cleveland High School, while completing her master’s degree. She was soon offered faculty positions at San Fernando Valley State and Los Angeles Pierce College. Kathy chose Pierce College and began a career and life's work that included over 35 years in a department that evolved from “Secretarial Science” to “Office Administration” to “Computer Applications and Office Technologies”, often with Professor Basil as the Chairperson and always ahead of both developing technology and the norms of society and business. Kathy was honored many times at the local, state and national level, but remained most proud of the students and faculty at her beloved Pierce College. Kathleene visited Europe, South America, China, Japan, Alaska, and Hawaii, and she had adventures ranging from running the Colorado rapids in a tiny raft, backpacking the High Sierra, parasailing over Lake Tahoe, and driving across America to teaching English to children in Poland. Later in life, Kathy took trips to San Diego, Maui, and the BBQ festival in Sparks, Nevada. Kathy loved her grandchildren, loved her nieces, nephews and their children, the incredible friends and adventures with The Trail Dusters square-dancing organization, and life. We are better for having had her with us, and she will be missed. Memorial Service is Friday, March 27, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. at St. John Eudes Church in Chatsworth, California. Kathy's final resting place will be Oakwood Memorial Park, in full view of the trails and hills she so enjoyed hiking with her dog, Calypso. The Family asks that, in lieu of flowers, you consider a donation in her memory to The Alzheimer's Foundation of America. The foundation is worthy and any amount will help others battling what Kathy faced in her final years.