Franz Keith Baskett Sr.

Franz Keith Baskett, Sr., poet, painter, chef, English tea rose gardener and loving father, son, brother and friend, died January 6, 2017 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, at home after a brief illness. He was born July 21, 1952 in Texarkana, Arkansas to Edward Keith and Carol June Baskett. He received his BA in Art and English as a double major from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, did graduate work in sculpture and studio art at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge and received his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Arkansas. He was a lecturer in Literature at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss. for five years, and has held a management position at NWArkansas Media for over ten years in Fayetteville. He is survived by his mother, Carol June Baskett of Fayetteville; his sister, Mahala Olevia (Levie) Baskett of San Francisco, Calif.; his children: Sperry Workman (Curt) of Memphis, Tenn., Shana Kelly (Brian) of Central, La. and Franz Keith Baskett Jr. of Aurora, Ill. His grandchildren are Allison and Jonathan Workman and Max and Violet Baskett; additionally, he is survived by his cousin, Laura Carol Goodman of Boulder, Colo. He was predeceased by his father, Edward Keith in 1984. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the University of Arkansas/Pryor Center, 1 East Square Center, Room 120, Fayetteville, Ark. 72701-5394/Attn: Scott Lunsford (479) 575-6854. Memorial services will be held Saturday, January 14, 2017 at Sequoyah United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas at 2 p.m. Condolences at www.beardsfuneralchapel.com.