Carolin Bass
Carolin Joyce Bass
18 Nov 1937 - 02 Sep 2018
Clubs & Associations
Remembrances
Ramblers - Some of you may remember my friend, Carolin Bass, who died on Tuesday. This is a tribute I wrote:
This is Carolin. I met her back in 1997 or 1998. She was Mary's friend and co-worker. We went to Portland Power games together, and later, the three of us bought season tickets to the Portland Fire and sat together. Carolin didn't really understand basketball but that didn't stop her from having a fabulous time. Sometimes she would mistakenly cheer for the opposite team and she often yelled nasty things, that made no sense whatsoever, at the ref. She was cranky and loud and, at the same time, incredibly cheerful and a big old squish. She loved her animals. She always had a house full of cats and dogs. She was a rabid liberal. MSNBC was always blaring on her tv and she read The Nation and Mother Jones and spouted leftist conspiracy theories. She loved to travel and she loved birds. She was a kayaker before she got sick. She was a square dancer. She was an out lesbian in Los Angeles in the 50s, one of those brave women who made it so much easier for my generation and the ones that came after.
About 8 years ago she began to experience trouble walking and to have some cognitive issues. She went to many doctors before being diagnosed with hydrocephalus. She had brain surgery and for awhile she seemed to be getting better. But it didn't last - her cognitive abilities continued to decline and about two years ago she was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. I told Carolin many times how impressed I was with her, for being upfront and direct about the issues she was experiencing. If she needed help, she asked for it. I remember the first time she asked me to count out her money for her because "I'm not so good with math anymore." She was a role model for me for how I hope to be if I ever develop dementia.
Lewy Body dementia is a terrible disease. Patients experience auditory and visual hallucinations and paranoia. When Carolin first moved into assisted living, she was convinced that the government was plotting to steal her cats. But she was also convinced that an attractive female nurse was in love with her. At one point she told me and Mary, "These hallucinations, they're not all bad. Sometimes they're really great!" As the disease progressed though, she lived in a constant state of terror. She couldn't hear well and what she did hear always turned into something really awful in her brain. Today she died. She was 80 years old. I will miss her, and at the same time, I am so happy that she has been released from the terrible place she inhabited for at least the last year. Rest in peace, Carolin. You have earned it.
— Lis Baccigaluppi[1]
Photos
Santa Monica High (Santa Monica, CA) yearbook photo, 1966
At Weave The Rose, 1998
Sources
- ↑ Facebook post, 07 Sep 2018
