Margaret (Peg) Bassion died on Oct. 20, 2026, at the age of 82 surrounded by family and friends. She leaves behind her beloved husband Ken and her children Kirsten and Todd. She was married for 57 years to Dr. Kenneth Bassion; they lived in Marblehead for 52 of those years.
She was born Margaret Anderson Stein in Albany, New York, in 1944 to parents Frank Stein and Viola Anderson Stein. She also had an older sister Barbara Smetana from Media, Pennsylvania. Peg lived a life of love and adventure. Her children Kirsten A. Bassion of Marblehead and Todd Bassion of Snowmass Village, Colorado, knew her as a mother always on the go. From hiking, camping, river rafting, skiing, scuba diving, sailing and grabbing every opportunity to explore the world.
She considered herself part Kiwi as she and Ken spent 25 winters in her beloved New Zealand. In her early summers, she grew up deep in the woods of the Adirondack Mountains in a cabin her dad built in 1946 on Lake Eaton near Long Lake, NewYork. She trekked in Mt. Everest National Park in Nepal, visited China as it opened to westerners, rafted the Grand Canyon three times and hung on tight for an expedition down the Zambezi River just to name a few adventures.
Her life of travel took her all over the globe and she considered herself a citizen of the world. She graduated from Albany High School in 1962 and Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing in 1965. She worked as a registered nurse in Aspen, Colorado, as the first nurse in the Snowmass Clinic in 1967-68. Subsequently, she moved on to Hawaii where she sold wooden wares on Waikiki Beach and then worked as a nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Although she practiced nursing for many years, she was most proud and privileged to have the ability to raise her children and to have a sincere love of homemaking. She was known for her entertaining and love of cooking. Her door was always open. Her four granddaughters, Adelaide Mooney, Harper Mooney, Siri Bassion and Emily Bassion knew her as fun and engaging. Peg adored those girls. She is also survived by her son-in-law Ronald Mooney and her daughter-in-law, Kirsten L. Bassion, both of whom she adored.
One of the greatest elements of her life were her close friends.They were like sisters and they helped each other through rough times and laughed through the joys of life. Her family and friends from around the world wove a rich tapestry of caring. Thank you all; you know who you are! Peg lived a good life, chock-full of love and adventure, family and friends. She always said she lived three lifetimes in one. Now on to the next adventure. She will be missed! A celebration of life Open House will be held at the family home on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Please feel free to drop in at your convenience to share stories, visit with her family and friends, and remember Peg Bassion.
