A secretary for Iowa State’s Honors Program will be missed by both students and staff after dying last week from unknown causes.

Wendy Bass, 37, of Huxley, died Jan. 29 at Mary Greeley Medical Center after suffering a seizure Jan. 12 and slipping into a coma.

Doctors completed extensive tests on Bass, but “they do not have a clue” as to what could have caused her sudden death, said her husband, Bill Bass.

“Her medical history is perfect,” he said.

Bass said that doctors believe something caused his wife’s heart to stop, and the seizure was the result of her brain dying from a lack of oxygen.

“They don’t think she had a brain seizure,” he said.

Bass’s funeral service was held Tuesday at the Palestine Lutheran Church in Huxley.

Elizabeth Beck, Honors Program coordinator, said Bass was a “people person” who often received compliments from ISU students and their parents.

“She was always very helpful; she was always interested in helping people,” she said. “After orientation, students would call; parents would call. It was not uncommon for her to get thank-you notes from them.”

Bass said he was amazed at the hundreds of letters and cards he received praising his wife.

“[The letters are] about how she touched their lives, and they all talk about how she always knew their names,” he said.

Beck said the Honors Program staff often said Bass “made the front door of the university very friendly.”

“She had a great rapport with the students, and she was always cheerful and bright,” she said. “She knew a lot about the university — she was a wonderful first contact.”

And ISU also was important to Bass.

Bass said ISU was the second most important thing in his wife’s life, next to her family.

“Her hobbies all centered around her job and her family,” he said.

Smith agreed that Bass was a gregarious person.

“She was very much a people person; she loved to talk,” she said. “I think that’s one of the reasons why she liked to work at the [front office] job; she was very bubbly. Everybody loved her.”

Bass’s connection with students was so strong, Beck said, that several Honors students served as pallbearers at her funeral.

Kristen Schmitz, Honors Student Board president, called Bass an “open person,” one who liked to share stories with students about her family and the university.

“She enjoyed working with the students a lot,” said Schmitz, senior in food science technology.

“It was a really nice feeling for me to know that there are people in the university system who really care about you and want to be your friend,” she said.

Beck also said Bass knew how to keep the mood light in the office even when the staff was under considerable stress.

“We have an extremely heavy workload, and we don’t have a lot of downtime,” she said. “Wendy would recognize that. She always had something to say…. She was our sunshine committee. [She] would always do something that would brighten up everyone in the office.”

“It’s a little sad over here right now; it’s tough,” she said. “She clearly made a mark on the program.”

Bass is survived by her husband and her three children, Heather York, 18; Ashlee York, 14; and Kacy Bass, 7.

Heather York will be attending ISU next fall.

For information about how to donate to Bass’ Memorial Fund, contact Beck at 294-4371.