Alba Basden

Alba M. BasdenMesa - Alba M. Basden of Mesa, Arizona passed away on January 17th, 2021, after a long bout of COVID-19. Born in Champaign -Urbana, Illinois on April 16, 1941, she was the oldest child of Adalena (Brown) and Walter Carter. In her early teens, Alba relocated with her family to Chicago, Illinois, where she attended Mercy High School. After graduation, she received training in nursing before enlisting in the US Air Force. Stationed in New Jersey, she met and married Adrian Basden, with whom she had three children. After receiving an honorable discharge, Alba worked as a Finance and Accounting specialist for the US government. In conjunction with her US Civil Service employment and a second marriage, she relocated to Panama, several European countries and various US cities before settling down in Mesa, Arizona. She also obtained a Bachelor's and Master's degree before retiring from Civil Service and joining the private sector. In her spare time, Alba enjoyed knitting and spending time with her extended family.Alba is survived by: her three children, Adrienne Basden, Kevin Basden, and Denise (Basden) Willard; her sisters Marla Colvin, Sandra Drake and Ailene Preston; her brothers Walter Carter, Jr. and Brian Comeaux; five nieces and nephews; three grandchildren; and one great grandchild.Alba's passing has had profound impact on her family and friends. In view of her cause of death and COVID-19 restrictions, she was cremated without burial services. However, a virtual memorial service will be held April 17th, 2021 at 2 p.m. Arizona time at https://www.mykeeper.com/event/alba-basden-memorial-service/

Obituary as written by her grandaughter (Jan 2021) in honor of her Grammy

Alba Maria Basden will be remembered for her lead foot and adventurous spirit. Born in 1941 to a Black Army veteran and a Puerto Rican woman who later became one of the first female Hispanic principals to serve the greater Tucson area, Alba’s parents were exceptional for their time and they raised their daughter as such.

Growing up in Champagne, Illinois, Alba dreamed of traveling the world from a young age. She enlisted in the Air Force at the age of 18 but chose to put her dreams on pause a year later when she became pregnant with her first child.  A few years, two husbands and two divorces later, Alba was a single mother caring for three children, plus one or two other youngsters who stayed with her off-and-on. When money was scarce, Alba sewed their clothes herself and ate Lifesavers for dinner to ensure there was enough food on the table for everyone else. Although fiercely devoted in her role as the family’s matriarch, Alba never stopped yearning for a life of adventure. Once her children were grown, she earned a degree in accounting and joined the civil service. The day her first grandchild was born, she called to offer congratulations from her new apartment 7,000 miles away in Turkey.

While overseas, Alba sent her children necklaces she had picked up from bazaars in Egypt and enthralled her grandchildren with stories about how she had seen “the real Trojan horse” in Greece. Years later, with a glint in her eyes, she would recount how one of her colleagues had attempted to flatter his way into her front door after too many after-work cocktails in Jerusalem. Alba’s second act was everything she had dreamed it would be.

After retiring in Arizona to be near family, Alba resumed her most-cherished hobby of knitting and sewing. She handmade the dresses for her daughter’s wedding party, as well as the dress that her granddaughter wore to her first homecoming dance. In her spare time, Alba also volunteered at Mesa Arts Center and enjoyed listening to country music. She once accidentally drove 20 miles in the wrong direction because a “really good Garth Brooks song came on the radio,” and could get from Mesa to Tucson in an hour flat. Even after getting busted by the highway patrol for speeding on the 79, Alba would brag that she could sweet-talk any state trooper into letting her off with a warning. Alba lived a full and happy life to the very end. Her deep laugh and “lorrrd have mercy” will be missed.

Alba died on January 17, 2021 from complications sustained after testing positive for COVID-19 in late October 2020. She is survived by three children – Denise Maria Willard, Kevin Mark Basden, and Adrienne Renee Basden – three grandchildren – Sabrina Maria Ferguson, Grayson David Willard, and Mitchell Lee Willard – and one great-grandchild – Amara Marie Willard.