Steven Baskin

Stephen Alan Baskin, age 75, died of complications from Mycosis Fungoides and Sezary Syndrome on November 12, 2023.

Steve was born November 23, 1947, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the first child of Alfred Calder Baskin and Dorothy Ralston Fox. He grew up in Harrisburg, graduated from California State College of Pennsylvania with a degree in History/Secondary Education, and later lived in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and Boston, Massachusetts. He was the third generation of Baskins to work at Baskin Tire Sales, a family-owned company begun by his grandfather George Baskin. He eventually became a multiple winner of the Million Dollar Sales award from the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

In June 1988, Steve left the Keystone State behind and moved to Sheridan, Wyoming, where, on September 23, 1989, he married Cynthia Ann Georgen (they had met on a blind date in December 1987). Shortly after that, he started Lost Arts Restoration, specializing in antique refinishing and restoration carpentry for over thirty years.

In the 1990s, Steve was bitten by the acting bug, and could frequently be seen on stage at the Carriage House and Wyo theaters. He was an active member of The HUB’s Young at Heart Players and was a past president of the Sheridan Civic Theatre Guild.

Steve first started drumming in junior high school and played in a little combo. He set the drums aside for many years but started up again after moving to Wyoming. He played with Celtic Sage, Canary Joe, and several other small jazz groups, often with his “partners in crime” Barbara Campbell, Jane Perkins, Evelyn Gernaat, and Terry Garrison. He was a huge fan of “The Songbook,” and sang with the New Vaudevillians at the Wyo. He also appeared in several Wyo musicals, both on stage and in the pit orchestra.

Steve had a particular love of the Bighorn Mountains and enjoyed camping, hiking, and canoeing both there and at Tongue River Reservoir. He and his brother loved to backpack in the mountains of Montana and Yellowstone National Park.

Over the years, Steve and Cynde frequently indulged in their mutual love of travel, driving to Cynde’s national museum meetings in Providence, Baltimore, Nashville, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Denver. They made frequent journeys to San Francisco, the Oregon Coast, as well as the Southwest, and in 2022, they finally got to see his beloved Yankees in action at Yankee Stadium. Their last big trip was to Paris, Florence, and Izmir in June 2023.

Aside from his wife, Steve is survived by his brother George D. Baskin and sister-in-law Alice Meister of Bozeman, Montana; brother-in-law Mike (Caryn) Georgen of Mesa, Arizona, son Stephen (Jamie) Witcoski and granddaughters Adelynn and Elyse Witcoski, all of Ligonier, Pennsylvania, his cats Rosie and Markie, special friends Jack and Judy Vernon, Pat and Bruce Tomsovic, Bill and Pam Rapp, and Sarah Campbell Eaton, as well as many, many friends around the country and across the globe.

Please join friends and family of Steve Baskin for a Celebration of Life on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, 4:00 P.M. at the HUB on Smith Street in Sheridan.

Lots of Music, Memories, and More.  The members of his two favorite bands – Celtic Sage and Canary Joe – will be reuniting to play some of his favorite tunes. Barbara Campbell and Melissa Butcher will be performing as well., along with some of the folks from Trippin For Biscuits. He played with them for years. Any other musicians Steve played with during his time in Sheridan are encouraged to make even more music.  Actors, Clients, Woodworkers, Captain Cleaners, and everyone else –

Please come and share your memories of Steve with all the other folks who love him. Online condolences may be made to www.sheridanfuneral.com. Arrangements are under the care of Sheridan Funeral Home.