Louise (Lou) Tremewan Basañez, of Mountain City, Nevada, passed peacefully on March 23, 2022 after a valiant fight against her second round of cancer.
Lou was born in Elko, Nevada to Oliver Tremewan and Anastasia (Sabala) Tremewan on January 9, 1939.
Lou attended Elko High School, where she met her husband of 54 years, Melvin (Mel) Basañez.
Mel and Lou were married on September 6, 1958 and after a brief move to Winnemucca relocated to Mountain City, Nevada where, along with their oldest son Mitch, they operated the store for 40 years, until their retirement in 2002.
Lou was an active community member throughout her life.
She served on the board of the Owyhee hospital for a time and oversaw activities for the Mountain City sewer and water district.
Lou always did her best to ensure the Mountain City Visitor’s Center was open as a place for travelers to stop along Davidson Street.
Lou was a respected member of the Elko County School Board for 14 years, always putting the needs of kids and the District first.
She enjoyed spending time compiling the Rewrites from the archives of the Northeastern Nevada Museum for the Elko Daily Free Press and contributing to exploring and sharing the history of Elko County.
Lou was an avid outdoorswoman.
She loved to be outside spending time with her family fishing and hunting in the mountains of Nevada in search of everything from deer and elk to rocks and old bottles.
Lou always had ambitions to hike the Ruby Crest Trail and accomplished it with her son Dan in 2009. Many also knew Lou as a gifted quilter, which was her lifelong hobby.
After retirement, Lou found a passion in travel with her sisters, whether it be to Spain to see distant relatives, bowling tournaments around the U.S., or a river cruise in Russia.
She also enjoyed sitting at the gym or at the field watching her grandchildren and great-grandchildren play whatever sport they were signed up for.
And when she wasn’t out and about, Lou could be found with a book in her hand and FOX News in the background.
Lou always said that she wanted to live to be 100 years old and her vivacious attitude and love of life was apparent until her last breath.
Lou was preceded in death by her parents Oliver and Ana, her husband Mel, and her son Raymond.
Lou is survived by her sons Mitch Basanez and Daniel (Bonnie) Basañez, her daughter Molly (Justin) Wolf, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren Amanda (Bobby; Alison, Brant) Steensen, Cammie (Kevin; Keaten, Carson) Nelson, Raymond (Skyler; Millie, Adelia, Nakiah) Basañez, Tyler (Leslie; Dally) Wolf, and Todd (Danielle; baby on the way) Wolf, and her sisters Sara Smiraldo, Diana Graff, and Delores Tremewan.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00pm on April 14, 2022 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. A celebration of life will follow at 3:15pm at the Elko Senior Center.
Donations may be made to the Northeastern Nevada Museum.
