John Willis Bashore

John Willis Bashore, age 91, of New Vienna, passed peacefully on Thursday, October 3, 2024.

Born on December 23, 1932, John was the son of the late Robert Bashore and Virginia Cartwright Bashore, a child of the Great Depression.

He attended New Antioch school until consolidation sent him to Wilmington High School, where he graduated in 1951. There, he played multiple varsity sports including track and held the school record for the mile.

After high school, John served as a corporal in the US ARMY, with the bulk of his time spent in Alaska.  Following his service, he returned to New Antioch and was a mail carrier in Wilmington.  John went on to work at a local auto parts manufacturer for 33 years.

"Coach Bashore" began his career after his military service by coaching basketball at New Antioch Grade School. Throughout his life he was a volunteer coach for hundreds of area students in youth basketball, tee ball, baseball, and football. He coached softball at East Clinton High School & Southern State Community College well into his 80's.  In his free time, John was a landscape and commercial artist.

He is survived by his son and daughter in-law, Ronald Lee and Amy Bashore of New Vienna.  Also left to cherish his memory are several nieces and nephews and a host of others who knew him as ‘Coach’ or ‘Uncle John’.

In addition to his parents, John was preceded in death by siblings: Luanna Bashore and Bobby Bashore.

In lieu of flowers, John's family suggests that those wishing to memorialize him do so by planting a tree.  John loved trees and everything about them: admiring them, painting them, utilizing them to their full potential.  Please, plant a tree and remember John.

Friends may call at Littleton Funeral Home, Sabina, on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, from 10-11:30am.  A graveside service, at New Antioch Cemetery, will follow.