Joseph E. Bashour, age 86, of Aquidneck Drive, Middletown, Rhode Island, passed from the beloved arms of Dorothy Hyder-Lane to the waiting arms of his Lord and eternal rest on May 21, 2023. Born in Highland Park, Michigan on March 10, 1937, he was the son of immigrants Jacob and Eugenié Bashour.
Surviving are his only sibling George Bashour; his former wife and mother of his children Joyce Bashour; his seven children Lori Bashour, Michael Bashour, James Bashour, Joseph Bachour, Richard Bashour, Paul Bashour and Regina Iacono; and his many grandchildren, great grandchildren, in-laws, nephews and nieces.
Joseph was a U.S. Navy veteran who served in the Seabees at Quonset Point, Rhode Island. He was an inventor and multiple patent holder. He was a highly regarded corrective factory and electrical engineer and specialist in plastics molding and design in the dairy industry. Artistic by nature, he was a musician at an early age and an avid photographer throughout his life, generously filming and photographing family, friends and community events for over 60 years.
In retirement Joseph continued to pursue his love of photography, regularly volunteering his talents in his community. He was a member of the Newport Photo Guild and became active at local senior centers, offering sessions for members to sit for an artistic portrait. He was able to capture their images in a strikingly beautiful, three dimensional way, and was invited to present them at a solo exhibit entitled Seniors of Aquidneck Island at the Newport Art Museum, Coleman Gallery, under the theme that “not only youth is beautiful; experience and knowledge are beautiful; having lived life is beautiful.” The exhibit was accompanied by a feature story and interview on the front page of the Newport Daily News.
Into his 80s, Joseph used his talents to volunteer with the Newport Photo Guild to take portraits of children at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center. He was recognized for those repeated efforts and remarked that it was one of his most satisfying volunteer opportunities. His images have joined other photographers’ on exhibit at the Newport Art Museum and other local venues, have sold on greeting cards, have been published in the Newport Daily News and grace the walls of many private homes (visit www.joebashour.com).
Visiting hours will be on June 1 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport.
A funeral Mass and burial will be held on June 2 beginning at 10:00 a.m. in St. Lucy’s Church, 909 West Main Rd, Middletown, RI.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (www.stjude.org) and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center in Newport, RI (www.mlkccenter.org).
Additional information at www.memorialfuneralhome.com