Les Basham

Harold L. (Les) Basham, 94, of Troy, died on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2005, at St. John's Lutheran Hospital.

He was born on Nov. 7, 1910, at Creston, one of eight sons of William and Cora Belle Basham. He was raised and educated in the Flathead Valley and first came to Lincoln County in 1928.

Les worked in farming and ranching and a favorite memory was of rounding up wild mustangs.

He married Bessie Schermerhorn at Kalispell in 1936 and had been married for 64 years when she died in 2000.

They returned to Lincoln County in 1944 to live at Troy.

A longtime woods department employee of the J. Neils Lumber Company, Les was a bulldozer operator, building many of the area logging roads.

A wonderful storyteller and practical joker, Les also liked to fix things, especially broken appliances.

He enjoyed reading western novels by Louis L'Amour and Zane Gray, and watching John Wayne movies.

In addition to his wife Bessie, Les was preceded in death by a daughter Dixie in 1995.

Survivors include his children, Nancy Erhard, Libby; Leslee Brinton, Sacramento, Calif.; Jim Basham, Libby, and Jay Basham, Troy; 14 grandchildren, 33 great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren.

Services will be conducted at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3, at the Troy Church of God with Pastor Gene Bushnell officiating.

Arrangements are under care of the Nelson & Vial Funeral Home.