Basil Gaulding

Services will be available to view via livestream and recording at https://www.oneroomstreaming.com/view/authorise.php?k=160530574585570

Basil C. Gaulding, 95, of Wentworth, South Dakota, (formerly of Kansas City, MO) passed away peacefully on November 3, 2020.  Basil was born in Kansas City on December 8, 1924, to Jesse H. and Hattie J. (Trent) Gaulding.  The family moved to Ozark County, Missouri, and Basil began elementary school at the Oak Dale School in Nottinghill.  He then attended high school in Gainesville and graduated in 1942.

In early 1945, Basil joined the Army and was stationed in Hawaii where he became a supervisor of a motor pool of 100 vehicles.  After being honorably discharged in late 1946, he returned to the Ozarks where he met his future wife, Lois Bernadean Crawford.  The two married on June 25, 1947, and moved to Kansas City where they raised their family.

Basil began a lifetime career when he apprenticed as a proofer at Kansas City Engraving and Colorplate Company.  He worked there until he bought his own photo engraving shop, Heisler Engraving Company, in 1964.  Gaulding operated his business for 23 years, retiring in 1987.

An avid hunter and fisherman, Basil loved the outdoors.  He particularly liked to hunt turkeys and devised his own turkey call using a corn cob and cedar striker to create yelps and clucks on a piece of handheld slate.  Basil had a special gift with animals, especially dogs and horses.  One of his hobbies was participating in field trials, and his bird dog, Blondie, was the 1964 amateur regional champion.

Basil’s greatest loves were the women of his own “Petticoat Junction,” his wife and daughters.  He and his wife “Dean” enjoyed raising cattle and gardening.  His daughter Lecia learned from him by working at Heisler during the summers, and his daughter Paula loved showing horses with her best friend, her Dad.  In his later years, PawPaw enjoyed watching his grandsons play baseball and sharing lemon drops with his great-grandchildren.  Though he was quiet about his faith in God, Basil could often be found reading his Bible each morning. His warm smile, quick wit, and cheerful laugh will be greatly missed.

Basil is survived by his children Lecia (Robert) Summerer and Paula (Ty) Land, his grandchildren Tim (Mallory) Summerer, Andrew Summerer, Abrienne Summerer, Corey Land, and Codey Land, and his three great-grandchildren Finnley, Milo, and Evie Summerer. He was preceded in death by his wife of 72 years, Bernadean, his parents, and his siblings and their spouses, Naomi and John Haskins, Patricia and Ralph Risley, and Earl and Barbara Gaulding.

The funeral and graveside service will be on Saturday, November 14 at 2:00pm at the Terrace Park Funeral Home in Kansas City. Pastor A.D. Ellison, a long-time family friend, will be officiating.