B.F. "Biff" Basham passed away January 2, 2022, his 86th birthday, at Desert Peaks Memory Care Facility. Biff was proud of the fact that he was born on his grandparents' ranch in Reagan County, Texas. As a toddler he moved to Carlsbad with his parents, Mary Beth (Boyd) and Otis Basham. He graduated from Carlsbad High School in 1954 and attended the University of New Mexico majoring in business administration. Biff served in the U.S. Army for 2 years, stationed at Ft. Lewis, Washington. Following college, he moved back to Carlsbad where he was the school bus contractor. He later moved to Houston and owned and operated Continental Drayage, supplying drywall in high-rise buildings in the area. In 1988 he moved to Las Cruces where he owned and operated a wireless cable TV company. In 1993 he returned to Carlsbad where he purchased and operated two Pizza Inn restaurants. He was always an entrepreneur at heart and preferred being his own boss. In 2003 he married Charlene Guthrie. Together they retired and moved to Cloudcroft where they built their dream home in the mountains. They then purchased a motorhome and spent 12 years traveling to all but 2 states and enjoyed many cruises as well. Biff was very active in the Cloudcroft United Methodist Church, serving on many committees, including being lay leader for 3 years, and was instrumental in the planning and construction of the church parsonage. He was also active in the Cloudcroft Men's Golf Association. They moved to Las Cruces in 2019. Biff is survived by his wife, Charlene Basham of the family home in Las Cruces; three children, Terry Basham and wife his wife Kristy of O'Fallon Missouri, Sherry Basham of Lakewood, Colorado, and Sandra Basham of Phoenix, Arizona; a stepson Scott Guthrie and his wife Kelly of Las Cruces; three grandchildren, Kyle Valeu and his wife Lindsay of O'Fallon, and Gavin and Malcolm Guthrie of Las Cruces; a sister, Robin Bostick and her husband Leroy of Carlsbad; a brother-in-law, Harold O'Dell and his wife Stephanie of Las Cruces; and special cousins, Sue and Richard Ayling of Santa Barbara, California, and Linda Jennings of Mentone, California. Visitation will be Thursday from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Getz Funeral Home Chapel. Funeral services will be Friday, January 7, at 1:00 p.m. in the University United Methodist Church, 2000 S. Locust in Las Cruces, with the Reverend Dr. Heike Miller officiating. Graveside services will Saturday, January 8, at 2:00 p.m. at the Carlsbad Cemetery, 1506 Boyd Dr. in Carlsbad, with Mike Veilleux officiating. Pallbearers will be Chub Foreman, Charles Pfeifer, Jim Peters, Harold O'Dell, Scott Guthrie and Leroy Bostick. Honorary pallbearers will be Max Pruit, Tom Ludwick, Jack Shirey, Russell Loose, Jim Moore and James McNeil. Should friends desire, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601, or online at alz.org. First Visitation
Thursday, January 6, 2022 5:00pm - 7:00pm,
Getz Funeral Home Chapel
1410 E. Bowman Ave
Las Cruces, New Mexico 88001
Service Information
Friday, January 7, 2022 1:00pm,
University United Methodist
2000 S. Locust
Las Cruces, NM
Interment Location
Saturday, January 8, 2022 2:00pm,
Carlsbad Cemetery
1506 Boyd Dr.
Carlsbad, New Mexico 88220
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