W. Mark Bassett, a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died suddenly on May 11 while with his family in St. George, Utah. He was 59.
The Church said Bassett died as a result of a traumatic brain injury, ending a career in church leadership that had been closely tied to missionary work and wide-ranging global assignments. In a statement, the Church said, “Elder Bassett will be deeply missed and always remembered for his great faith and dedicated service to the Lord Jesus Christ,” adding, “Our love and prayers are with his dear wife Angela, his children, and his grandchildren during this difficult time.”
Born in Carmichael, California, on August 14, 1966, Bassett earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Brigham Young University in 1991 and spent his professional life in the wholesale auto auction industry. He served as the CFO and owner of West Coast Auto Auctions, Inc., which operated in California, Oregon, Nevada and Idaho. He married Angela in 1989, and they had five children.
Bassett had served as a General Authority Seventy since April 2016 and was serving as the Executive Director of the Missionary Department at the time of his death. The Church said he also served in the Brazil Area Presidency, the North America Northeast Area Presidency and the North America Southeast Area Presidency. General Authority Seventies travel widely to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ and assist in directing missionary work, humanitarian aid, temple building, family history and other Church efforts.
The Church has not said whether a replacement has been named for the missionary department post. Bassett had not yet reached the age of 70, when General Authority Seventies are typically released and granted emeritus status, leaving his death to close a chapter that was still active at the highest levels of the church’s leadership.
