Remembering My Father

This is a photograph of my father, Benjamin Barsel, in his 60s when he lived and worked in St. John, US Virgin Islands.

My father died on March 21, 2007. He was 91 years old. Ben was born in the spring of 1915. He did not know the exact date and later created May 1 as his observed birthday. He was born in what is now called Israel, but what was then Palestine.

He was a private man who, in general, spoke little about his life in words, but who had a strong felt presence.

Ben is survived by:

• His spouse for over 61 years, Bernice Barsel


• His son and daughter-in-law, Paraman and Lakshmi Barsel


• His daughter and son-in-law, myself--Lily S. May--and Michael C. Greene
• His sister, Thelma Edelstein, and her family--including his nieces Sylvia Nissenboim and Ruth Edelstein.

Ben was living in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.A. at the time of his death. When we children were growing up, we lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the U.S. It was in 1969 that my parents moved to St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands where they lived and worked for, I believe, 16 years.

Ben Barsel was a certified public accountant who worked at his profession until he was 87. He had a strong interest in history and society, enjoyed reading and chess and loved great food.

During the last few years of his life I learned about some of his experiences as a medic in World War II and recently have learned something about his early life that I'll write about in this blog.