Jack M. Bass Jr., an active member of the steeplechase community who served as an Iroquois Steeplechase steward, died Saturday, Aug. 15, in Nashville. He was 85.
With his wife of 37 years, Melinda Owen Bass, he pursued several horse-related endeavors and involved their children in those activities. He was a member of the Hillsboro Hounds and the National Steeplechase Association, and his riding prowess earned him a brief role as a stunt-man in the 1972 film Dead Dead Delilah, starring Agnes Moorehead and Will Geer.
A 1951 graduate of the University of Virginia, he served in the U.S. Foreign Service before joining his father in J. M. Bass & Co., a private investment banker. Among other interests, he was an avid student of modern military history.
He served as the timer for the Iroquois races and was a member of St. George’s Episcopal Church, Belle Meade Country Club, the English-Speaking Union, the Reading Room, and The Turf Club.
A lifelong sportsman, he also was an active wing shooter, and he and his wife were founding members of the Nashville Gun Club.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by four daughters, Leslie McKinney Bass, Meredith Bass Nelson (Charles), Lisa Bass Foote (Douglass), and Jean Maddin Bass; one son, Jack Maddin Bass III; three stepdaughters, Lulu Rogers Elam (John), Mary Rogers Smith (Jay), and Melinda Hampton Rogers; and 16 grandchildren and step-grandchildren, Charles Nelson IV, Richard Sutton Bull IV, Douglass Gordon Foote III, Maddin McBride Nelson, Spencer Clifton Foote, Wilkes McKinney Bull, Mason Bass Foote, Savannah Rhea Solomon, Jake Keeler Solomon, Polly McBride Bass, Edith Mercer Bass, Jack Maddin Bass IV, Mary Hampton Elam Cook (Andrew), John Bernard Elam Jr., Logan Edward Smith, and Heather Melinda Smith.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, 223 Rosa L Parks Ave #301, Nashville, TN 37203, (615) 782-7226. www.woundedwarriorproject.org.
Visitation with the family will be at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at St. George’s Episcopal Church, followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m., with interment to follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery.