July 15, 1936 - June 17, 2019

Geoffrey William Bassingthwaighte was born in Godalming, Surrey, England and passed away in his beloved farm house in the Mt. Angel area.

In 1953, at the age of 17, he was drafted into the national service and served 2 years as a police cadet ("Bobby") in London. He worked a 10-hour shift at Queen Elizabeth II's coronation on June 2, 1953. As a young man he dreamed of coming to America to experience the "wild west," own guns, and start a business.

Geoff emigrated from England to Canada in 1960 by himself while his wife, Ann, and two kids Steve and Tania waited in England. Not long after, his family joined him in Canada before finally immigrating to America in 1962. The entire family became American citizens in 1967 in Boston, Massachusetts. Geoff attended MIT, studying metallurgy, and later became an engineer in the aerospace industry. The family eventually moved to Oregon in 1971 and settled in the Mt. Angel area. He went on to finally purchase guns and start a successful foundry business.

Geoff is survived by his daughter Tania Bochsler (Gordon); grandchildren Oliver Bochsler, Abigail Greenhalgh-Johnson (Nathaniel), and Vincent Bochsler; loving companion Virginia Cox; brother Raymond Bassingthwaighte; sister-in-law Jean Walton; and daughter-in-law Christine Klein. Geoff was preceded in death by his wife Ann; son Steve; and sister Evelyn Crowhurst.

He enjoyed photography, especially taking photos of hummingbirds and flowers. He loved shooting his guns, riding his off-road 4 wheeler, woodworking, and spending time with his family. Geoff dearly loved the many dogs and cats he had over the years. His grandchildren nicknamed him "Wolf" after a children's book, and it stuck ever since.

A celebration of life will be held later this year - date and time to be determined.