Obituary of David Scott Bassinson

DELMAR – David Scott Bassinson (Scott), 64, died on April 5, 2020 at Albany Medical Center after a valiant, year-long fight with cancer. Born in St. Louis, Missouri on July 12, 1955, Scott was the third child of Julie and Max Bassinson. When Scott was 13, his father was murdered in a senseless robbery. Scott was profoundly affected by this tragedy and learned at a very young age to appreciate the preciousness of life. He graduated from Ladue Horton Watkins High School, SUNY Oswego, and Albany Law School. He was an attorney in both the public and private sectors. Scott’s three proudest accomplishments were clerking for U.S. District Court Judge Con G. Cholakis; leading the New York State Attorney General’s Environmental Protection Bureau’s fight against Midwest coal-fired power plants, which were causing acid rain here; and leading the litigation team as Solicitor at the New York Public Service Commission, a position regrettably cut short by his illness. As fine an attorney as he was, the real love and passion of his life was music. He often traveled during his career and wherever he would go he would find a piano to play. He played jazz gigs in the capital district and wrote and recorded a CD in 2017 with the Scott Bassinson Quartet called “Loving Hearts, Smiling Faces.” The other love and passion of his life was his family: his wife Meg whom he married in 1986 and his two sons. They had many laughs, travels, celebrations, walks with their dog Henry, and of course lots of music. Everyone in the house played piano. Tragedy struck his life again when his son Max died of an undetected heart anomaly in 2015. Scott’s grief was deep and profound. Our prayer is that they are together now in paradise. Scott is survived by his wife Meg, son Paul, sister Julie Agee (Rob), brother Kevin Bassinson (David Carroll), brother Jeff Bassinson (Victoria), nephew and niece Matthew and Sara Cole, great-nephew Keegan, niece Willow Lilkas-Morse, his “sweet pea” Mary, his “adopted” son Devin, many cousins, loving in-laws, and a circle of wonderful friends here and stretching all the way back to his childhood in St. Louis. Scott and Meg are deeply grateful to Dr. Stephen Wrzesinski and the staff at NYOH, and Dr. Edward Farhangi and the staff at Albany Med Radiology. We will have a celebration of Scott’s life at a later date to be announced. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Max D. Bassinson Music Scholarship Fund, Augsburg College, 2211 Riverside Avenue, CB 142, Minneapolis, MN 55454. Scott’s favorite quote was from Henri Amiel: “Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark journey with us. Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind.”