Obituary of Reza I Bashey

Reza Ismail Bashey, age 91, died peacefully in his home in Bloomington, IN on Thursday, November 23, 2023.  Reza (Ray) was the devoted husband of Hildegarde M. Bashey, who preceded him in death.  He is survived by his son, Ali Bashey of Bethlehem, PA, his daughter Parveen and son-in-law Huw Roberts, and their children Dylan and Gibson (of Philadelphia and Miami, FL), and his daughter Farrah and son-in-law Gerard Visser of Bloomington, Indiana and their children Leo and Cyrus.

Reza was born to Ismail and Rokhia Bashey on August, 28, 1932 in Bombay, India. He was one of five brothers, who remained close despite dispersing across three continents.  Reza earned both a B.S. and M.S. from the University of Bombay and then went to the US to continue his studies, earning his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Rutgers University in 1958.  He completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Southern California and the University of Miami.  While in Miami, Reza re-met an acquaintance from New Jersey, Hildegarde Moessner, who had just graduated from Douglass College and was also working at the university.  Hilde and Ray married in 1961 and then moved to India, where Ray worked at the Indian Council for Medical Research in New Delhi.  It was there that they had their first child, Parveen. They subsequently returned to the United States, living near Hildegarde’s family in New Jersey, where Ali was born. Later they moved to the Bronx, NY, where Farrah was born, and where Reza worked as a research professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Reza was proud to have become a US citizen in 1967.   

Reza and his family moved to Lafayette Hill, PA in 1971.  He continued his career in biomedical research in Philadelphia, working in succession at Hahnemann Medical College, the University of Pennsylvania, and Thomas Jefferson University.  His research, which centered around collagen, was funded by the NIH and had applications for heart disease, arthritis, scleroderma and diabetes.  He loved his work and he continued to keep up with the literature well into his retirement.  

Reza valued family above all and despite the distance, he travelled to see his mother and brothers and their families whenever possible.  He was warmly welcomed into Hildegarde’s family and always enjoyed visiting with them. He was a loving father and a cherished Papa.  He was keen to play with his grandchildren, to take them on outings, attend their school functions, and to join them for meals or to watch a movie.  

Ray was fun to be around and was known for his rich sense of humor.  He had a great sense of adventure.  He always enjoyed traveling, visiting with friends, reading, cooking and eating good food, and attending lectures and concerts.  In his retirement, Reza joined the Mahdieh of Philadelphia, and was excited to reconnect with the culture of his youth. In his last years, he lived at Masonic Villages in Lafayette Hill, PA, and then Meadowood in Bloomington, IN; he loved the welcoming environment at each place.  Ray’s family wishes to thank the caring and skilled staff at both places, and at Elder Care Home Connections and IU Health Home Hospice, who enabled his final years to continue to be filled with fun and family.