Charles S. (Sid) Bazzy, was born in New London, Wisconsin on February 28, 1934 to Helen Mansour and Ahmad Bazzy. He lived many places during his childhood, along with his younger sisters, Marian and Kathryn. They ultimately landed in Loyall, Kentucky. Sid attended and graduated from Loyall High School, where he sang in many choirs, marched in the band, participated in sports, and held a number of leadership roles.
Sid studied at the University of Kentucky, where he especially enjoyed science and math classes and played tenor saxophone in the university marching band.
At the age of 20, Sid was invited by a co-worker, later to become his best friend, to sing in a Gospel quartet. It was here that Sid encountered the words of the hymn “Whiter Than Snow.” This led to Sid seeking out the meaning of these lyrics, which led to him choosing to receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. This pivotal choice to follow Jesus gave Sid the direction he was seeking. His devotion and commitment to God through his relationship with Christ has been an inspiration to those who knew him.
During this time, Sid was approached by the Harlan Smokies, a farm team for the Cincinnati baseball teams in the 1950s. Although he declined their offer, baseball and softball continued to be a big part of Sid’s life for over 40 years, as he played on local teams, as well as coaching both the men’s and women’s teams for Mason First Church of the Nazarene.
Sid joined the army and took basic training in Missouri. Later that year, Sid married Dorothy Swartz in 1956 in Saginaw, Michigan. Three daughters and a son resulted from their union. Sid honed his extraordinary skills in electronics at the High Altitude Missile Department of the U.S. Army Air Defense School at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, where he consistently tested at or near the top of his classes. While there, he had an opportunity to play baseball with Norm Cash, who later played with the Detroit Tigers.
After leaving the army, Sid settled in Michigan and took a job as a credit reporter for Dun & Bradstreet. He quickly gained a reputation as an exemplary employee, taking on company incentives, winning contests, and receiving honors for his achievements and his stellar work ethic over his more than 60 years working for D & B.
Divorced in the early 1970s, Sid became closer to his sisters, Marian Awwad and Kathryn Anthoney-Smith, and their families. He became very close with his nephews Farris and Lawrence (Teri) Awwad. Sid also connected with Sam Swiden, another beloved relative, and Sam’s sister Mary Swiden. Sam, his wife Patty, and their children Luke Swiden and RoseAnn (Swiden) Wick would become an integral part of Sid’s life.
In 1973, Sid met Maxine (Snyder) Guylas at the Mason First Church of the Nazarene. They fell in love and married in 1976. He gained not only a wife, but two more daughters through this union. Between the two of them, Sid and Maxine raised an active and thriving household of six children. Family Cedar Point trips every summer, regular backyard cookouts, and lively Christmas celebrations were just three of the family traditions that continued for decades.
Sid combined his love of music and entertainment with his electronics expertise to create his own art form. In the early 1970s, Sid created a fictional group of musical friends, Clarence, Willard, and Jack, who together were the “Voices of Piety.” They appeared in numerous overdubbed reel-to-reel audio skits over the years. These fictional friends would convene with much witty banter and hilarity. At some point, they would resolve their inevitable conflicts, harmonize together, and share the good news of salvation in Christ by singing a classic, such as “The Old Rugged Cross.” Sid’s children grew up with these characters and excitedly anticipated their “visits.”
In the 1980s, Sid and Maxine started a videotaping business, SidMax Enterprises. They recorded and edited weddings, meetings, and other events. He put his video expertise to use on the City of Mason’s Cable Communications Commission.
Sid was an important part of the video/sound ministry for Mason First Church of the Nazarene for over 40 years as part of his Christian ministry, as well as serving as a Sunday School teacher for the teens at Mason First Church of the Nazarene. Sid was presented the Nazarene World Mission Society: Distinguished Service Award in 1995.
Philosopher and poet, Sid was adept with language, even bringing back songs and wisdom from his dreams. He was a playful and creative force and his life was his palette.
Sid shared life-long inside jokes with his family and was a ringer at Scrabble. He videotaped everything and everyone, including himself singing “Strangers in the Night” to his dog Harold, as he held her and she promptly wet on him. He loved Star Trek, especially The Next Generation episode, “The Inner Light.” He named his cars, lawn mowers, appliances, and called all of his daughters’ boyfriends “Dave.”
Sid was always available for a midnight chat with his daughters, hugs at any time of the day or night, and was always there to help when a car broke down, a relationship ended, or a crisis occurred.
Sid set a high standard of excellence in all his endeavors and modeled the heart of Christ in his relationships. He leaves a legacy of kindness and humor, his own original flair. He had the ability to make anyone he was with feel that they were the most important person in the world.
Sid absolutely loved his family with all his heart. He treasured his wife, Maxine, and their many years together. For example, they shared hundreds of Michigan State Spartans basketball games together, in person, or watching on TV. He made sure that every one of his daughters knew they were his favorite. In certain ways, they all were.
Sid was preceded in death by: his son, Todd Bazzy, and his brother, Sam Swiden.
Sid is survived by: his wife of 46 years, Maxine Bazzy; his daughters, Kim Bazzy, Leanne Minshall (Phillip), Lisa Harris (David), Susan Guylas, and Kelly Strantz (Craig); grandchildren Travis Finch (Karla), Steven Burkhart (Natalie), Aaron Minshall (Kaitlyn), Jamie King (Jacob), Nathan Burkhart (Danielle), Rachelle Finch (Dylan), Daniel Bazzy-Schmidt (Brandy), Christy Bartels (Chase), Mary Harris, and Andrew Harris; ten great-grandchildren; sisters Marian Awwad and Kathryn Anthoney-Smith, and many nieces and nephews.
It’s a challenge to quantify a life such as Sid’s, so we are grateful for the depth of his own words, which speak to who he was. Sometime in the 1970s, Sid brought back from a dream a beautiful song he had been singing. This song became an iconic family classic and the starting point for an epic narrative saga which grew over the years as the family grew—parents, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
It began:
Day by day, wherever men may go,
Day by day, in summer as in snow,
Day by day, as it was so long ago,
Day by day, forever…
And culminated all these years later:
One happy day, I know I’m going to die,
and on that day, to Heaven I will fly.
I’ll see Christ’s face, above me in the sky,
Someday, forever!
Sid’s Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, August 21, 2022 at 3:00 pm at Mason First Church of the Nazarene, 415 E. Maple Street, Mason, MI 48854.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in honor of Sid Bazzy to:
Encounter Church, Journey Ministries, 620 Robinson Road, Jackson, MI 49209
Howell First United Methodist Church (FUMC), Youth Ministry, 1230 Bower Street, Howell, MI 48843
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