One of the consequences of aging...
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...is that you keep losing lifelong friends.
We got word a few days ago from the daughter of one of our good friends that he passed away. Wasi and I commuted on the same train every day starting back in the 1980s when Mr wtg and I moved here. We got to know each other because I used to kibitz the bridge game on the train. We would walk several blocks heading home; my car was parked not too far from Peg's and his house. The four of us went out for dinner a few times and we hit it off very well, becoming close friends.
Peg was a phenomenal cook and gardener, and Wasi's barbecued spare ribs were to die for. We explored the cuisines of many cultures together, at their home and ours and at restaurants, eating and drinking and laughing a lot. We lived through Peg's rheumatoid arthritis and knee replacements and Wasi's kidney dialysis, then transplant, and his later in life back problems.
They decided to sell their house in 2014 and move to Madison, WI to be close to their daughter. I actually found the house they ended up buying by looking at listings online! We kept in touch and managed to visit them a few times. When Peggy died some four or five years ago, Monya and Wasi put together a a "book" about her. It was a PDF that chronicled her life in text and photos.
Wasi sold their home and moved to a condo after Peggy died. We talked on the phone but between COVID and Mr wtg's health problems in recent years, we never got to see him again.
Their daughter Monya sent us a card a few days ago announcing his October 2025 passing and inviting us to a celebration of life later this summer. Monya put together a Google Earth slideshow, a link to which was on the card that she sent. It uses maps and Wasi's own photos and remembrances as the basis for walking you through Wasi's life. He was born in Assam to a Muslim family, was orphaned at a young age, moved to East Pakistan (later Bangladesh) as a child after the Partition, went to school in British Columbia, and Madison, WI...and on and on. I knew he was Bangladeshi but had never heard the details of his life story.
I don't know if anyone is interested, but I thought I'd share the link to the slideshow. @big_al , you might be interested in the wanderings of a fellow engineer. He had a PhD in mechanical engineering, was a PE, and worked on nuclear reactors when he was at Sargent and Lundy.
I had a bit of trouble navigating the slideshow on my iPad; it was much better on my laptop. After Google Earth loads, just click on Wasi's Story and start the slideshow.
Wasi loved his martinis:
Here they are sitting on the patio in their backyard.
Goodbye to our friends Wasi and Peg. You will live on in our memories.
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