On Sunday, February 25, 2024, at 12:12 am, Edrissa Korjo Bassey passed away. Edrissa was born in Tikonko town, Sierra Leone, to Alhaji Sheku Korjo Bassie and Haja Mamie Kafray Bassie on November 11, 1952. He is survived by his "Honey" (as he called her for 38 years) Henrietta Sowo Bassey, daughter Henrissa Mamie Bassey ("My Babe"), and sons Edrissa Bassey, Junior ("Son") and Musa James Bassey ("Son"). He left this world, but he still lives on through his family, who takes comfort in knowing that he is no longer suffering and is taking a well-earned rest.

In the 1970s, Ed emigrated to America. At the time, he was 19 years old and worked on chicken farms, washed dishes, and drove taxis to pay his way through business school and law school. With hard work, he eventually attained his CPA certification, Master of Business Administration (MBA), and Juris Doctorate (JD).

Upon arriving in Oxnard, Ed used his almost unbelievable persistence to build a client base - as a tall, Black man with an accent that people claimed they could not understand - during a time when the Internet as we know it did not exist. At the end of his life, Ed had owned his law practice and practiced law for 34 years.

While running a full-time law practice, Ed became a professor at Oxnard Community College, teaching business-related courses in the evenings. In this role, Ed left a lasting impression on many of his students, who, to this day, recognize Ed's children after seeing or hearing their last names. It is a great honor for his wife and children to know that his name will live on in the community where Ed built his personal and professional legacy.

Ed was also a devoted husband, father, and provider. When Henrietta, Ed's wife, told him that she wanted to open Junior's Place of Hope (JPOH) a school in Sierra Leone where children with autism and other special needs can be supported in a safe environment, he immediately supported her vision. We are glad to report that Junior's Place of Hope (JPOH) was opened two weeks before Ed's passing. Ed requested that we bury his body on JPOH's grounds, and we are happy to grant this final wish.

Ed's thirty-eight-year marriage to Henrietta produced three wonderful children who were Ed's pride and joy. He had a special, unique relationship with each of them.

Henrissa, his daughter, has childhood memories of him instilling a love of history and education into her, literally giving her a dollar if she could remember a historical fact he'd discussed earlier in the week. Towards the end of his life, these talks no longer came with a dollar and took place in a hospital room, but also accompanied a tenderness and reflective spirit that revealed a new layer to their relationship.

Edrissa, Jr., affectionately known as "Junior," was Ed's oldest son and took joy in his Dad encouraging him to dance when he heard a song he enjoyed, and watching game shows, football and basketball games together.

Musa, Ed's youngest son, recalls Ed playing games with him on the weekends and instilling life lessons into him while engaging in long conversations about history. He shared Ed's love of politics, history, and education. In turn, Ed loved to ask Musa his thoughts on various civil rights and social issues and hear Musa's perspective and reasoning.

Towards the end of his life, one of Ed's favorite words was "WOW," often accompanied by him raising his eyebrows and smiling. A little-known fact about Ed was his good sense of humor. He was known for his loud laughs and jokingly dancing with his grandnieces and nephews at birthday and Thanksgiving celebrations.

From his first days to his final days, Ed stood tall in the face of adversity and modeled for his children what it means to be brave. Ed-rissa's wife and children will miss him immensely.