Bashkim Prishtina's Obituary
Bashkim Prishtina was born on July 11, 1946 and died peacefully on September 10, 2022.
Better known as Papa, anyone who knew this great man also knew his incredible love of family. He leaves behind a legacy of loyalty and devotion and was truly the most loving son, brother, husband, father and grandfather that we could have ever asked for.
Papa’s love of family was known to all. He was a storyteller at heart and would often share epic stories that included the fascinating history of the Prishtinas and the struggles his parents went through in order to survive and thrive. In fact, he was so proud of the legacy his parents left that he wrote about it in two of his books, Escape from Tirana and Stories from Izmir & Beyond, which he wrote during his retirement years.
His third and final book, Waiting for Kafta, chronicled his personal travels around the world. Bashkim loved travel for many reasons, but mostly because he was the type of man who embraced all people, races, ethnicities and religions. He saw the beauty in all places and people and captured these experiences through his writing and photography, passions he picked up later in life. Bashkim spent his entire life traveling, but he particularly enjoyed traveling with the love of his life and beloved wife, Mary.
Mary and Bashkim were practically professional travelers. They traversed several continents together, but their favorite adventures included some of their latest travels through Asia. They went to Myanmar, China, Thailand and Cambodia, to name a few. Bashkim captured these experiences in photos and eventually showcased his travel photography in local art shows.
Bashkim was adventurous in many ways…even at the dinner table! A true foodie, he loved to eat, cook and drink amazing wine. (We’ll all miss his triple mushroom pasta sauce that he would make from scratch!) We also loved going to dinner with Bashkim – he would order almost everything on the menu and talk about how amazing each dish was. He always knew the best spots, loved sharing a meal with family and friends and would never forget dessert. (He would say: 4 desserts, 1 fork!)
Bashkim loved life and loved family, and there is nothing he loved more than his son, Adam. He and Adam shared a special bond and were more alike than they were different. Adam even inherited Bashkim’s mind for engineering!
Bashkim spent almost 40 years as a structural engineer at TY LIN International and built buildings and bridges around the world, including the new Bay Bridge in San Francisco, which was his last big project before retirement. He graduated high school in Izmir, Turkey and went on to the University of Naples, where he completed a PhD degree in structural engineering.
Bashkim is predeceased by his parents Hysen Prishtina and Stella Prishtina. Bashkim is survived by his wife Mary, his son Adam and his grandsons Alexander and Benjamin Bashkim Prishtina. He’s also survived by his stepchildren, who he loved just like his own, Daniel (Rose), Colleen (Chris), Karen and Caity as well as grandchildren Grace, McKenna, Dominic, Marianne, Anna, James and Michaela. He is survived by his brothers Fatos and his wife Modesta, and his brother his brother Fishik Prishtina and his wife Gorsev, and sister Farie Aydin and her spouse Adnan, and many nephews and nieces.
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