AUGUSTA – Catherine Forbush Bass, 90, formerly of Wilton, Strong, Wayne and Brunswick, died Monday, Feb. 16, after a long illness.

She was born in Brockton, Mass., on Nov. 15, 1918, the daughter of Helen (Dill) and Walter A. Forbush. She graduated from Abbot Academy (now Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass.) and attended Pembroke College (now Brown University in Providence, R.I.).

On Nov. 26, 1938, she married George H. Bass II and together they enjoyed 63 wonderful years, prior to his death in 2002. They met at Kineowatha Camps in Wilton, where she served as a camp counselor and George worked maintaining the facilities and transporting campers.

She lived in Wilton and Strong most of her adult life, while her husband, George ran the family firm of G.H. Bass & Co., shoe manufacturers. Although the shoe business was her husband’s main occupation, his consuming interest was farming. Together, she and George operated Maplewood Farm, a 2,000-acre farm in Strong.

She was the accountant and bookkeeper. They had a herd of 75 holsteins, many crops, as well as lumbering and trucking operations. Her primary role was overseeing maple syrup production which peaked at more than 600 gallons per year. Their farm supplied maple syrup to several of the finest hotels in Boston, including the Parker House.

Many will fondly remember her for her exquisite hosting skills both at family gatherings and larger functions. She was also an expert knitter and enjoyed fine stenciling and water colors. She was an avid golfer and particularly enjoyed playing after retirement at their winter home in Hilton Head Island, S.C. She was a member of the First Congregational Church in Wilton and also attended the Wayne Community Church in Wayne and the Kellogg Congregational Church in Harpswell.

She is survived by her two daughters, Nancy Bass Wolfram and her husband, Chuck, of Berkeley, Calif., and Joanne Bass O’Connor and her husband, Richard, of Edgecomb; four grandchildren, Catherine Wolfram and her husband, Matt Barmack, of Berkeley, Calif., Peter Wolfram of Berkeley, Calif., George O’Connor and his wife, Melissa of Augusta and Alane Bass O’Connor and her husband, Kevin Wellenius, of Belgrade Lakes; six great-grandchildren, Sky Wolfram, Devon, Bridget and Brady O’Connor and Max and Sylvia Catherine Barmack; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was predeceased by her beloved husband, George; her parents; and her three siblings, Walter, Lothrop and Louise.

The family is deeply grateful to the special friends who helped care for Catherine over the years: Kelley, Jen, Karen, Judy, Mary, Dan, Betty and others.