Obituary of Mary Carroll Basnight

Mary Carroll Basnight St. Petersburg Beach, FL Mary Carroll Basnight, 79, of St. Petersburg Beach passed away April 7, 2020 at her home, one month after being diagnosed with metastatic melanoma of the brain, with her daughter Mary Beth by her side. Born April 29, 1940 in Olean, she was the daughter of the late John and Marion (Powers) Heister. She was formerly married to the late William D. Russo with whom she shared three beloved children, Ann Marie, William A. and Mary Beth. Mary was a graduate of Olean High School, Class of 1957. After her children were all in school Mary went back to school and earned her RN from Alfred State College School of Nursing. Nursing was Mary’s calling. She began her career at Olean General Hospital, first as a floor nurse and then as a nursing supervisor. After moving to Cincinnati, OH she became the Director of Nursing at the Glenn Manor Nursing Home for the Jewish Aged. She was beloved by her staff and the families of her residents. Mary then moved to St. Pete Beach, FL where she continued her career working as the Head of Same Day Surgery at Palms of Pasadena Hospital and later worked at Bay Pines Veteran’s Hospital as an Oncology specialized nurse. She gave great comfort to her thousands of patients and was well respected in the medical communities she worked in. Mary was a worldwide traveler. Her most recent trip was to the Holy Land with her friend, the late Rosalie Mullaney. She made sure her children enjoyed many trips with her, most memorably a summer spent traveling across Europe as well as summers at Cape Cod. Mary loved spending time with family and friends. Over the years she traveled back to Cincinnati, OH and Olean to enjoy the summers and holidays. She loved watching her grandchildren and great-grandchildren grow. During her summer visits to Olean she would reconnect with her very special friends Marlene A., Jean, Jan, Carm and Marlene C. from a Card Club she belonged to for many years. She was an avid tennis player and played daily on the courts of the St. Pete Yacht and Tennis Club where she resided. She spent many happy hours on that court with her dear friends Carolyn Sherwin, Jean Hutchinson and Carol Sheehan and the rest of the tennis gang. She enjoyed going to the symphony, Broadway shows, The US Open Tennis Matches and art exhibits. She was a voracious reader and kept up on medical information and education after her retirement. No doubt she would have dusted off her scrubs and joined the effort to fight the COVID 19 war. Mary was the product of the most loving mother and father who practiced true Franciscanism. She passed on the love and compassion for all humanity she learned from them to her children. Everyone was welcomed in their home and she taught her children about equality and social justice early on. She was a peacemaker and an angel to many, and was a devout Catholic. Mary’s family would like to thank her physician and friend Alan Smith, MD (along with his wonderful office staff) for his care and support during her illness. Surviving are her children, Ann Marie Sitter (Fred) Tompkins of Olean, William A. (Lori) Russo and Mary Beth Moyer, both of Cincinnati, OH; a beloved brother and sister-in-law, Joseph and Sandra Heister of Olean; a dear cousin Gerry (Marie) Powers of Cleveland, OH., granddaughters, Amanda (Douglas) Erwin of Olean and Leah Maull of Rochester, and Mary Lou (Jeremy) Obrien and grandson, Christopher (Renee) Moyer of Cincinnati, OH; great-grandchildren Gabriella, Anabelle, Elliot, Logan, Gavin, Asher, McKinnley, Sadie and August, and nephews Mark (Kim) Heister, Gregory (Laura) Heister and Joseph (Meghan) Heister. She was predeceased by her sister, Patricia Ann Heister. Due to COVID 19 restrictions at this time, a memorial service will be planned at a later date to celebrate Mary’s life. Burial will be in St. Bonaventure Cemetery, Allegany. Funeral Arrangements are under the direction of the Casey, Halwig and Hartle Funeral Home, Olean and Brett Funeral Home, St. Pete Beach, FL. In Lieu of flowers the family gratefully suggests donations in Mary’s memory to the American Cancer Society 1-800-227-2345 or towards a nursing scholarship that will be set up in Mary’s name to The Kathi Ward Foundation, 1225 West State Street, Olean, NY 14760. The Kathi Ward Foundation for Nursing Practice provides funding to support and educate nurses within a thirty mile radius of Olean Online condolences may be expressed at oleanfuneralhome.com.