Basil Eugene Brasol 96 passed peacefully on Thursday morning September 23 2010 at the Hospice Care Center in Port Orange Florida of natural causes. He is survived by his loving wife of 14 years Ruth; children: Nita Stone (Roger) of Holly Hill Basil Brasol Jr. (Joan) of Daytona Beach Sandy Hickey of Holly Hill Tina Cantrell (Wayne) of Daytona Beach Patty Spivey (Will) of Ormond Beach and Chrisy Lemmond of Daytona Beach Shores his sister Zlata Daoust of Quebec Canada and 20 grandchildren 37 great-grandchilden and 15 great-great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his brother Al Brasol his sister Maria Bacharov and his first wife of 50 years and the mother of his 6 children Helen. Basil's story is the classic tale of realizing the "American Dream". Born February 20 1914 in Achtyrka Ukraine to Eugene and Tatiana Brasol affluent horse-breeders the family was forced to flee for their lives when the Bolshevik Revolution spilled over into Ukraine. The Brasol family was spared when their beloved nanny Nanya took them in and told the soldiers that the family was her own. Soon after the Revolution the English government sent ships to evacuate the refugees across the Black Sea through the Mediterranean to Egypt. From there Basil became a seasoned traveler making his way through Italy Yugoslavia France and Switzerland. He took a hiatus from his five years of traveling to attend a boarding school in Paris. At only 16 years of age he braved the journey across the Atlantic Ocean solo into the welcoming arms of Lady Liberty. He then took the train south to join his father Eugene in Tomoka Florida. In this new land of freedom and opportunity Basil thrived. He worked with his father on their farm and then he joined the Civilian Conservation Corp. He later relocated to Bridgeport Connecticut where he was employed by General Electric and met his first wife Helen. While in Connecticut they started their family having their first three children Nita Basil Jr. and Sandy. Basil then moved back to the Daytona Beach area. Once in Florida he mastered the trade of carpentry and worked on many of the high-rises on the beachside. His brother joined him even building their own homes. Basil and Helen completed their family with three more children: Tina Patty and Chrisy. Basil played the bass guitar and was featured on an album. He was an avid scuba diver often treasure hunting and was featured in a News Journal article in the August 4 1968 edition. His retirement years were spent pursuing his interests. He had a propensity for tinkering with electronics even creating his own hearing aids. He could fix anything. His voice was often heard across the airwaves of his amateur radio club his presence filled fish with fear and he was known to "cut the rug" at the Ormond Beach Recreation Center dances. His presence was always enjoyed at family get-togethers where he would share the tales of his legacy passing down traditions and his knowledge of fishing to his children and grandchildren. Basil was blessed to find true love again when he met Ruth at a community dance. During their 14 years of marriage the couple enjoyed dancing dining out visiting garage sales and gardening. Ruth tenderly looked after Basil in his last days and was faithfully by his side when he passed. A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday October 8th 2010 at 5:00pm Lohman Funeral Home Daytona at 1425 Bellevue Avenue Daytona Beach Florida 32114. An American Legacy.
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