Family members of a Biodesign researcher who died Saturday said they would remember him for his strong work ethic and nonchalant attitude.
Ralph Bash, a post-doctoral researcher, was dedicated to his job, but also had a sense of humor that no one could touch, Bash's sister, Martha Bash-Thomas said Tuesday.
"He didn't take himself too seriously, but with his work, it was like 24/7," she said.
Bash's body was found on the ground level of the Life and Sciences East wing building early Saturday morning as the result of an apparent suicide, said Leah Hardesty, a University spokeswoman.
ASU police responded to a report of "a man down" west of Palm Walk Mall just before 5 a.m. Saturday after the man, later identified as Bash, apparently jumped from the seventh floor of the Life Sciences building, Hardesty said.
ASU Police and the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's office are still reviewing the case to determine the exact cause of death, she added.
Bash-Thomas said she was shocked by the news of her brother's passing.
"I am truly, deeply, truly baffled," she said. "I keep asking 'why, why, why?'"
Bash had recently bought a new house, started a new diet, celebrated his 51st birthday with his colleagues and friends at ASU, and seemed genuinely happy, she said.
"He was an amazingly brilliant person with an intelligent mind, but he just had too much going on up here," Bash-Thomas said, tapping on her head. "He will be remembered as very unique. There is no one on this earth like him."
Andy Thomas, Bash-Thomas' husband, said he would always remember his brother-in-law for his unique ability to make him laugh.
"If you didn't know him, you'd think he wasn't the outgoing type of person, but if you knew him, he'd make you laugh," he said. "He was the kind of person who never had anything bad to say, or impose himself on you."
Her brother was an avid hiker and traveled all over the world, Bash-Thomas said.
His colleagues at ASU were visibly shaken up when she went to pick up his possessions, she added.
"Arizona State University is deeply saddened by the news of Ralph Bash's death and we extend our sincere condolences to the family, friends and co-workers of Ralph," Hardesty said in an e-mail.
ASU employees affected by Bash's death are being offered counseling services through the University at this time, said Michael Tracy, deputy director of the Biodesign Institute.
"We've provided employee counseling, but quite frankly we are just as in the dark about the details as you are," he said. "There's a degree of sensitivity with this issue."
Reach the reporter at: daniel.oconnor@asu.edu.
