| Notes |
- Outliving Dad
October 11, 2011 by Susan B. Bastress
My father, Dr. E. Karl Bastress
As we paid tribute to Steve Jobs who died this week at 56, I spent some time remembering my father who died at the age of 59. I have thought of my Dad many times over the past 23 years since his death, but more so these days as I have now reached the age he was when he died.
It is somewhat sobering to reach this particular milestone. I revered my Dad and the legacy he left behind. After growing up as an only child, he raised 4 children with my mother, and another 2 children with my step-mother. He imbued in each of us the value of education, hard work and being considerate of others.
I cherish the time we spent together deep-sea fishing, conducting science projects and building hutches for the growing brood of rabbits we had as kids. He taught me how to use my Nikon SLR and do darkroom photo printing. This hobby led to my starting up a photography club in college. He expected us to do well academically, and in my case, to pursue a career in math or science. His career as an aeronautical engineer exposed him to the harmful cancer causing chemicals which cut his life short, but he dearly loved being part of the exciting US space and defense programs, in which he was highly commended.
Before Dad was diagnosed with a brain tumor, he was leading his life for the future. He drove each week to the country to get fresh drinking water, ran regularly, and kept trim. He looked forward to spending more time with family during his future retirement. As a US government employee, Dad elected in his later career years to defer taking vacations so that he could accrue their equivalent cash value on retirement. This practice was common among his colleagues who would convert vacation time earned at lower ranks to cash out at the higher pay scale when retiring.
Of course, my Dad never reached his retirement age and thus never enjoyed the benefits of his sacrificed vacations.
Hoping that I will be fortunate to pass this milestone and outlive my Dad, I am contemplating how I want to live this future phase which he never had. I take inspiration from my high-energy Mom who leads a full life of travel and stays actively involved with numerous community projects.
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1929 - 1988 (59 years)
