Becoming an Orphan

One ordinary evening can divide life into a before and an after.

In Becoming an Orphan, Richard Baskas, Ed.D., recounts the sudden chain of events that begins when his ninety-year-old mother falls at home and breaks her hip. Hospitalization and rehabilitation follow, forcing Baskas to confront questions about her care, her future, and decisions he never expected to face so quickly.

But losing a parent is only part of the journey.

Afterward come the responsibilities that grief does not postpone: funeral arrangements, burial preparations, death certificates, bills, legal documents, possessions, family history, and a home filled with reminders of the person who is gone. As Baskas works through each task, he also confronts anger, uncertainty, memories, dreams, and the realization that his own life has fundamentally changed.

With candor and an eye for the everyday details of loss, Becoming an Orphan explores what it means to carry on when there is no longer a parent waiting at home—and when the question “Now what?” becomes deeply personal.

A reflective memoir about grief, responsibility, family, remembrance, independence, and finding a way forward after profound loss.