Obituary: Sean N. Bass

It's a sad week for the North Carroll community. They have lost a good man who was not only fiercely dedicated to his wife and children, but he was also completely invested in his community. After a courageous battle against Leukemia, Sean N. Bass of Manchester died on Wednesday, March 14.

Sean married one of my best friends. I met him 15 years ago when they were just dating. Sean was low key and laid back. He was intelligent and insightful. He was humble and generous. He was that way when I met him and he was that way at the end.

Sean seemed to live by a simple life philosophy: family is the most important thing, material things don't matter much and you can always find some sports game on tv.

Something that stands out to me about Sean was that he liked to ask a lot of questions. He never seemed to be one conflicted by awkward silences, because he always had a prodding question in his arsenal. In fact when Sean and my friend were dating I knew there was no such thing as a quick call if Sean answered the phone. If I said, "Hi Sean, is Lisa there?" He would say, "yeah ... hey, how did that presentation go that you were worried about?" or "how is your mom doing?" I would sometimes talk to him for 15 or 20 minutes before he would pass the phone to Lisa.

I learned a lot about dignity and grace from Sean, his wife and his children as they spent the last eight months navigating through this bewildering time of unknowns and highs and lows. And I was amazed at the overwhelming, and constant, support the community. Sean will be missed.

I have every confidence that the community will continue to embrace his wife and children as they figure out how to move on, one day at a time.

The following is the obituary as posted by the family with Eline Funeral Home.

Sean Neal Bass, 46, of Manchester, died on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at the John's Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore after a courageous battle with leukemia. Born March 13, 1966 in Baltimore, he was the son of the late Leroy and Shirley (Russo) Bass. He was the husband of Lisa Barnard Bass.

Surviving in addition to his wife are sons, Griffin T. Bass and Lucas E. Bass ; daughter, Evyn K. Bass; brothers - Michael N. Bass, Brad H. Bass; sister, Tammy M. Bass.

A loving and dedicated father, Sean enjoyed coaching his children in all sports. He coached for Manchester Baseball, North Carroll Soccer Club and North Carroll Basketball. He was an avid Ravens, Orioles and Terps fan. Most of all, he loved spending time with his family.

Prior to his illness, he worked for Reliable Churchill Distributors.

The family will receive friends on Sunday from 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm at Eline Funeral Home, 934 S. Main Street, Hampstead. Memorial services will follow at 2:00 p.m. Sunday.

Following the service, family will be in mourning at 2176 Katherine Beaver Drive, Westminster, MD 21157 through Tuesday evening.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Friends of Sean Bass, c/o Jen Moore, 2062 Misty Meadow Rd., Finksburg, MD 21048; or to , Leukemia & Lymphoma Society 11350 McCormick Road, Executive Plaza III, Suite 100 Hunt Valley, MD 21031. ( LLS.org)