Mamadou "Max" Bassirou Ba's Obituary
Mamadou “Max” Bassirou Ba passed away peacefully and suddenly at his residence in South Riding, VA at the age of 75. He was deceased on May 19, 2026.
Born Thursday, January 4, 1951 to Senegalese parents residing in Bamako, Mali, he was the son of the late M’Baye Ba and the late Safiatou Deme. He received a Master’s Degree in Economics, specializing in International Business from the Université d'Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire.
In addition to his accomplishments in the fields of international business and economics, he also made several significant contributions to the field of linguistics. While a student at the Faculté des Sciences Économiques (School of Economics), he became the first instructor of Dioula–the lingua franca of Côte d’Ivoire–at the Institut Linguistique Appliquée (Institute of Applied Linguistics) of the Université d'Abidjan. He also worked with the Peace Corps as a trainer and teacher of French and Dioula for newly arrived U.S. Peace Corps volunteers during summer training sessions as a university student. He became a major contributor to the first textbook for the Dioula language of Côte d'Ivoire, through his work assisting two linguists from France.
Professionally, he went on to become owner and CEO of BF Services, an oil service company in Côte d'Ivoire providing products, services, and employees to offshore oil rigs belonging to international oil companies, including British Petroleum, Phillips Petroleum, and AGIP, among others. He came to the United States in 1988 with his wife, June–whom he met through his work with the Peace Corps–and their daughters, and settled in Northern Virginia where he lived for the remainder of his life. He became a proud citizen of the United States in 2002.
While in Northern Virginia, Mamadou lived in various parts of the area, including Fairfax, Centreville, Chantilly, Herndon, Aldie, and eventually South Riding. He was a hard worker and worked in various capacities and industries during his life in the U.S. At the time of his passing, he was a dedicated employee at Catalent Pharma Services and also worked part-time for Harris Teeter.
Known to those closest to him as Pulojeri, Mamadou had a lifelong love of learning. A true intellectual, he loved reading books and newspapers, listening to NPR, and discussing international news, history, politics and world events with his family, friends, and coworkers. He also loved jazz and classical music, visiting the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., and video calls and visits to see his grandchildren in Miami, FL. He loved being a grandfather and doted on his grandchildren with frequent care packages of books, snacks, and candy. He knew and loved Jesus, and was a member of a few congregations in Northern VA including Calvary Church of the Nazarene, Woodbridge First Church of the Nazarene and Chantilly Bible Church.
He was known for his work ethic, humility, and generosity, and many of his coworkers described him as honest, dependable, caring, joyful, kind, welcoming, and always willing to help. His passing was felt by many in his local community, across the country, and abroad. He is and will be missed by those who knew and loved him.
Mamadou was preceded in death by his parents and five of his nine brothers, including his brother Ibrahima. He is survived by his wife, Eileen June Ba, his daughters Lynda Lantz (Steve) and Sarah Ba, and his two grandchildren: David and Vivian. He also leaves behind four brothers, Moustafa, Moktar, Carim, and Alioune, and is survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, and other relatives around the world.
If you wish to honor his memory, donations may be made in his name to the ongoing work of Team Respect, World Central Kitchen, the American Library Association, your local NPR station, or a charitable organization of your choice.
A celebration of Mamadou’s life will be held at a later date, and family and friends will be notified of the date, time and location.
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