Obituary of Miriam Bast
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Bast, Miriam Ruth
Miriam, our beautiful sister, inside and out, moved to heaven on Sunday. We will miss her so much, it's hard to imagine life without her. She passed away peacefully at her home in Toronto, Ontario on September 19th, 2021 at the age of 76.
Her smiles, laughter, and wonderful conversations will be missed by her brother Melvin and his wife Catherine Bast of Leamington, her sister-in-law Barbara Bast of St. Jacobs, her niece Rachel Bast and her nephew Lionel Bast both of Cambridge, and her nephew Aaron and his wife Natalie Bast and their three children, Carter, Wynn and Mae of Kitchener. She will also, never be forgotten by her many, many friends with whom she stayed in touch with by phone and skype especially during the last five or six years. Miriam is predeceased by her father, Aaron Bast (1966) and her mother, Verna Bast (2004) and her brother Philip Bast (2014).
Miriam was born in Kitchener on the 1st day of September in 1945 and grew up in the family home in Bridgeport where she helped her Mom and Dad with the operation of their nursing home. She learned caring for others at an early age.
During the early 1970’s, she moved to Texas and attended and graduated with a BSC in Nursing from Texas Woman’s University in Houston. After graduation she worked at the Methodist Hospital in the Intensive Care Unit at Fondren Orthopedic Group in Houston. It was “The Place” to work as Dr. Michael DeBakey, the world-renowned cardiovascular surgeon sent all his patients there for post-op from all over the world and Miriam met and came to know many of them. She loved working there and was very respected by all the doctors and her peers.
Upon the termination of her US work visa, she returned to Kitchener where she worked at the hospital there until she retained a position in the Intensive Care Unit at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. During the early 1990’s Miriam began working as the Research Coordinator for Dr. Anita Rachlis, in the Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases at the Sunnybrook Research Institute. As quoted by Dr. Rachlis, “she was the engine behind our enterprise, which in a small way, contributed to bringing new therapies to persons with HIV, making a difference in their lives and well-being. All of our patients loved her and appreciated her support during difficult times in their lives.”
As Research Coordinator, Miriam travelled to many international conferences around the world, making many wonderful life-long friends who she stayed in touch with over the years.
A Celebration of Miriam’s Life will be held at the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King Street S., Waterloo on Saturday, October 16, 2021 at 2pm. Those wishing to attend are asked to RSVP through the funeral home www.erbgood.com or 519-745-8445.
Donations to the Odette Cancer Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre may be arranged by contacting the funeral home at www.erbgood.com or 519-745-8445.
Life is not measured by the breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away.
Celebration of Life
