Albert J. Bazis

Albert J. Bazis was born March 3, 1941, in Omaha, Nebraska, the only child of Albert and Catherine Bazis. Though he grew up without brothers or sisters, Al was never without company—he had the rare gift of living right next door to his beloved Gramps and Grandma, and the two households were, for all practical purposes, one. Some of his earliest and happiest memories were of troll fishing with his Gramps along the banks of the Platte River, where a boy could learn patience, tall tales, and the quiet satisfaction of a day spent outdoors with someone who loved him. Al was an athlete from the start, throwing himself into baseball, softball, and basketball as a young man. When he eventually took up golf, he gripped the club the way God intended—like a baseball bat—and drove the ball dead straight down the fairway, a feat that baffled his partners until someone finally told him he was holding it wrong, wrecking his golf game for all eternity. Al was also an avid cyclist who loved nothing more than a long ride, and he and Joyce shared a passion for tennis, taking to the court together with the same competitive spark and easy partnership that defined everything they did side by side.

In January 1959, Al walked into a dance and met Joyce Caniglia. From that evening forward, the story of his life was inseparable from hers. Their first date was March 27 of that year, and on June 16, 1962, they were married, beginning a partnership that would endure more than 63 extraordinary years. They honeymooned in Hawaii, and the islands became a lifelong touchstone for them—a place they returned to again and again, renewing the joy of that first trip across the decades. Between 1963 and 1969, Al and Joyce welcomed five children into their home, and in time those children blessed them with 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. In a grace that the family will always treasure, Al was able to meet his great-granddaughter during the last week of his life.

Al graduated second in his class from Creighton University in 1963, launching a distinguished career in accounting and auditing that would span more than five decades. He began with Arthur Andersen, one of the most prestigious firms in the profession, and in 1972 accepted a position in Internal Audit with The Associates, a move that transplanted the Bazis family from Omaha to South Bend, Indiana. When The Associates relocated their headquarters to the Dallas area in 1976, Al and Joyce packed up once more and settled in Plano, Texas. Al retired for the first time in 1999, but retirement did not suit a man of his energy and intellect. By 2001 he had returned to work as Audit Director at Dallas Area Rapid Transit, where he served with his usual rigor and good humor until finally stepping away for good in 2019.

Al loved nothing more than loading up the family and heading out on the open road. In the early years, he and Joyce piled the kids into a tent, and later graduated to a pop-up trailer, crisscrossing the country on camping adventures that became the stuff of family legend. It was around the campfire on those trips that Al honed what may have been his greatest talent: storytelling. He had a gift for spinning a tale that could hold children and adults alike in rapt attention, and the flickering light of a campfire was his natural stage. Those nights under the stars knit the family together in ways that no amount of ordinary living could have accomplished, and the stories Al told became part of the shared inheritance his children and grandchildren carry with them still.

As the family grew, Al and Joyce built a lake house that became the gravitational center of the Bazis clan—a haven where every generation could gather, and where Al presided with the warmth and mischief that defined him. He was happiest at the lake, whether firing up the grill for one of his legendary cookouts or piloting the boat on yet another expedition with a cargo of delighted grandchildren. His favorite pastime, performed with unmistakable relish, was channeling his inner Poseidon: he would whip the boat through the water, stirring up what the grandchildren came to know as the “angry seas,” pulling a raft loaded with shrieking, laughing kids and watching with undisguised glee as they were launched skyward. It was pure, joyful chaos, and it was pure Al.

Al Bazis lived a life of remarkable fullness—devoted husband, loving father and grandfather, gifted storyteller, tireless professional, and the kind of man who could make an ordinary Tuesday on the lake feel like the greatest adventure in the world. He leaves behind a family that is richer in every way for having known him, and a legacy of laughter, love, and stories that will be told for generations to come.

Al is survived by his wife of over 63 years, Joyce Bazis; children Mark Bazis and wife Donna, Patrice Ford and husband Michael, Gary Bazis and wife Missy, Steven Bazis and wife Pam and Suzanne Ripple and husband Andrew; grandchildren Kristian Ford and wife Kelsey, Trenton Bazis and wife Lisa, Skyler Hood, Graham Ford and wife Kelsey, Ashley Shea and husband Kerry, Alec Hood and wife Shelby, Connor Bazis, Cameron Bazis, Trevor Bazis and wife Sophie Haley Bazis, Benjamin Ford, Paxton Ripple, Brianna Ford; and great-granddaughter Lennon Hood.

The family will receive friends for a visitation from 6-9:00 p.m., Sunday, March 22, 2026, with a rosary at 7:30 p.m. at Allen Family Funeral Options.

There will be a mass to celebrate Al’s life at 11:00 a.m., Monday, March 23, 2026, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church with a reception to follow.

Al will be laid to rest at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church Columbarium, Plano, Texas.