Missouri Remembers: In Progress BACK
R. Gordon Basinger
62 R. Gordon Basinger was born July 11, 1940. He was an esteemed member of the aviation industry for over 30 years, president first of Gordon Aviation sales and then since 1979, president of Phase Two, Inc. Prior to that, among other professions, he was an aircraft mechanic, avionics technician, flight instructor, and commercial pilot for Ozark Airlines. He was also accomplished in athletics, certified scuba diver, formidable racquet ball player, and 4th degree black belt and instructor in Shido-kan Shorin-ryu Karate. Basinger Sensei's longtime illness began in the 1960s with Lyme Disease. Since Lyme Disease had not yet even been named or discovered at that time, he went untreated. He even checked into Mayo Clinic in the 1970s attempting to understand his symptoms, to no avail. By the time he was finally diagnosed and treatment was available, the disease had advanced beyond the possibility of a cure. His immune system became more and more severely compromised and, therefore, paved the way for cancer which was diagnosed in 1997. He underwent various procedures and two years of chemo‑therapy, resulting in remission. In May, 2002, his cancer returned and had metastasized (spread). After several months of additional chemotherapy and much excruciating pain, on December 12th he was told he had but a few weeks to live. He still never gave up hope, faith or his commitment to battle illness. The evening before he died he said to his wife, "They don't think I can, but I'm going to beat this!" He was courageous, optimistic and determined to the end, which is no surprise to those who knew and admired this exceptional man. He will be painfully missed.
Basinger died December 27, 2002 of complications from bone cancer, secondary to Lyme disease.
* "A person is never gone until he or she is forgotten." If that is true, he will be with us always. - Kristina Carpenter
Obituary published in the Karate STL on 12/27/2002.
Ellen Cary
7 St. Louis
Ellen Kay Cary, the daughter of Eric and Harriet Smith Cary, was born March 4, 2000 in Hannibal, MO. She was a first grade student who liked to fish, draw and play with her friends and family. She attended Park United Methodist Church and Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church. Cary died May 23, 2007 at Children's Hospital in St. Louis after a 10 day infection with Ehrlichiosis.
* "Ellen was a Beautiful Little seven year old girl that was so full of life and always thought of everyone else." -Harriet Cary
Kathleen Cavert
51 Kim Cooper
31 Columbia
Kimberly Ann Nagle Cooper was a resident of Columbia, Missouri. In her childhood she studied gymnastics, which grew into a lifelong love of modern dance. She was an accomplished swimmer and especially enjoyed her many visits to Finger Lake State Park and Rock Bridge State Park. In the summer of 2005, Kym rescued a small boy from drowning in a backyard pool. Before contracting Lyme disease, she served as a licensed practical nurse and is remembered for her kind heart and special skills as activities director working with senior citizens at Fayette Nursing Home. Kym is especially remembered for her love of family, music, dancing and the great Missouri outdoors. Cooper died January 16, 2006, after an eight year battle with Lyme disease.
Brittany Margarete Gallgher 17 Sue Keen Gene Mattingly 76 Emily Rose Powell 15 Liz Rainey 44 Teresa McGilley Redlingshafer 72 Richard R. Robley 47 Sheldon Willis "Tex" Stout II 66 James Wilhoit 37 Erin Zinna 19 Unknown patient
"I shall pass this way but once, therefore any kindness I can show or any help I can give, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again."- Author Unknown
© 2006 The National Lyme Disease Memorial Park Project
