Shane Allen Bass

Shane Allen Bass was born January 22, 1977 in Dallas, Texas to parents John W and Judith (Allen) Bass.

"The funny thing about the heart is a soft heart is a strong heart, and a hard heart is a weak heart.”
― Criss Jami, Healology

Nobody on this earth had a bigger heart for others than Shane Bass.  Compassionate, loving, kind, selfless, thoughtful, are just a few of the adjectives that first come to mind when thinking of Shane.  He was a man who loved life, but always put his children, family, and friends ahead of his own interests and wants.  From the time he was a young man, he always stood up for the little guy and would throw himself in harms way to defend those he loved.

Shane loved BIG.  Anyone that knew and loved Shane knew that he would drop whatever he was doing to help a friend in need.  He loved his children, Lily Bleu and Denver, more than anything in this world.  He provided them a wonderful childhood filled with adventurous memories of boating on the lake, going for four wheeler rides at the farm, and snowboarding in California and New Mexico, just to name a few.  When not on adventures away from home with his family Shane was fostering deep relationships with the other families in his neighborhood, cooking out for everyone, building fires in the firepit in front of the house, helping to coach the kids teams, anything to bring joy to his family.  He is smiling now, knowing that his wife and children are surrounded with such big love from their neighborhood friends.

Although Shane was all of the things above, he was also a strong and determined man who knew and understood the value of hard work and discipline.  He expected his children, his co-workers, and his friends to be their best, and he had a gift for inspiring those people closest to him to reach deep to find their best self.  Shane excelled at his job as a natural leader; he was well on his way to growing in to greater and greater leadership roles.  Shane was one of the top sales people in his company, not because of aggressive sales tactics, but because he put his customers first and fostered deep long term relationships that could overcome any short term obstacles.  He traveled as far away as Alaska and South Africa with customers, not to impress them or for them to impress him, but because there was nobody else in the world they would rather share those experiences with.

Shane leaves behind an amazing legacy that will never be forgotten by those who knew him.  We will all try to develop in ourselves more of the qualities that made Shane such a beautiful person.  We will all surround Lily and Denver with love, while also instilling in them the determination, tenacity, and passion that Shane had, and that is needed to be successful in life.  Shane’s heartbeat and spirit will live on through Lily and Denver, and we will continue to see his bright light shine through them.

It is going to take a long time for all of us who knew Shane to get over this loss, and there are those amongst us who will never get over it.  However, we can all gather strength and gain peace knowing that Shane would want us to use his tragedy to help others.  He would want everyone to know that no matter how strong you think you are, you must maintain your mental health as much or more as you maintain your physical health.  Don’t stuff things; get them out with your family, a close friend, or an understanding counselor who can help you.  Demand that we bring mental health to the forefront of issues facing this country, and that we support our overwhelmed mental health system with more funding and resources.

You were the BEST Shane, and you will be missed dearly by everyone that knew you!

Shane is survived by his wife Ashley Bass; children Lily Bleu and Denver Allen Bass; parents John and Judy Bass; brothers Noah Bass and his wife Kimberlea, Cody Bass, and his partner Hunter Cummings; niece and nephew Bailey and Braden Bass; maternal grandmother Elizabeth Ann Allen and many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.  He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents John and Barbara Bass and maternal grandfather Francis Erskine Allen.

There will be a memorial service to celebrate Shane’s life Wednesday, December 9, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. at Stone Crest Venue, 160 Rockcrest Road, Mc Kinney, Texas 75071.

Shane will be laid to rest at Gravelly Cemetery in Gravelly, Arkansas  Friday, December 11, 2020 at 3:00 p.m.