Obituary of Joseph Basaraba
Joseph Basaraba, Emeritus Professor of Microbiology at Acadia University, passed away at the age of 103 due to complications of pneumonia and advanced age on March 25, 2024. Joseph is survived by his wife Eunice and children Natalie and Peter and many relatives including nephew Roman Basaraba and grand nephew Maksym Basaraba and their families in Ukraine and grand niece Nadiya Basaraba-Lvov and family in Brooklyn NY. He was predeceased by his younger siblings John, Leo and Emelia.
Joseph was born March 13, 1921 in the western region of occupied Ukraine. He was encouraged by his father to get an education and was then the only person in his village to attend university. Joseph dedicated his life to supporting and educating others. Joseph was attending medical school when World War Two commenced and he was conscripted into the Polish Army. He served as a radio operator and medic during the war and his service included time in Ukraine, Poland, Italy and France. Joseph’s experiences in the war left a lifelong impression on him. Like many others who lived through this time, these experiences influenced his world view on human behaviour and history. He was discharged to the United Kingdom and worked in various jobs including washing dishes in a hotel and farm work.
On July 24, 1949, Joseph arrived at the port of Halifax on the HMS Aquitania. He worked in general labour including forestry camps in northern Ontario and a farm in Saskatchewan. Joseph graduated in 1954 with a Bachelor’s of Science from the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC). He completed a Master’s Degree in Microbiology at OAC in 1956 followed by a PhD in Microbiology at Rutgers University in 1959.
Joseph became a naturalized Canadian in 1955. He accepted a teaching and research position at University of British Columbia as an instructor of Soil Science in 1959. He worked as an assistant professor at UBC in Microbiology from 1961 until 1963 when he became an associate professor of Biology at Acadia University.
“Dr. Bas” inspired decades of students with his love of teaching and shared the stories of his life experiences well past his retirement in 1986.
In 1963, Joseph married the love of his life, Eunice Harasymchuk, in Vancouver. They travelled across Canada in a Volkswagen Beetle and settled in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. They were married for 61 years. Joseph was a devoted husband and when Natalie and Peter were born became a devoted father who instilled a lifelong love of learning and commitment towards social justice.
While teaching and mentoring were always his passion, following retirement Joseph continued to find solace in gardening, gifting plants and sharing expert knowledge with friends and neighbours. He was known for planting many trees in his neighbourhood. He espoused and championed the values of environmentalism and ecological diversity. Joseph enjoyed visits from many former students and friends until the end of his life.
A Celebration of Life, followed by a reception will be held at 2:00 pm AST on Saturday, August 24th at Manning Memorial Chapel at Acadia University followed by a reception on site. Donations in Memory of Joseph can be made to Acadia University for the Basaraba Book Award or to the charity of your choice. Arrangements have been entrusted to Serenity Funeral Home, 34 Coldbrook Village Park Dr., Coldbrook, NS, B4R 1B9 (902-679-2822).
