Date of 01.04.2020 reminds deep sadness to all people who have Ahmet Baykan in their life. But I can’t describe the sorrow of relatives who didn’t have the chance of saying a proper goodbye to him with no words. We all know that Ahmet Dayı had plans of spending some sunny days in Türkiye with his sister, brother, nephews and the big family of him if he could get well. Unfortunately his plans didn’t happen. Maybe it is impossible from now on but I’m sure everyone is living these days in their dreams with all the memories he left behind.

A lot of people were inspired by Ahmet Dayı in their life. He touched too many hearts with his generosity and good wishes. He had an infinite patience and steadiness. His family was always the first priority of his entire life in every condition. Because of these he left so many people praying good for him. I believe only these prayings will be enough for a peaceful resting in God’s heaven. He deserves it undoubtedly and I wish he will reunite with his family soon in there.

Dear Altay, Artun, Selin and Kayra. Last time we saw each other you were 9 and 5 years old. Maybe you can’t remember these days clearly. But I have to say that you were so happy and cheerful in your baba’s hometown and the village. From this time we couldn’t get together again. I want you to know that for your relatives in Türkiye you are the only memory that Ahmet Baykan left behind in this world. I’m so sorry for your losing. But I believe you must be proud of having a baba named Ahmet Baykan with an enormous heart. Don’t forget that you’ve hundreds of brothers, sisters, cousins, nephews, … who will do everything for you without any return only because you’re Ahmet Baykan’s children. Please don’t forget this family of yours. Your 1 word of “merhaba” means a lot of things for them that maybe you can’t imagine. I believe we’ll be together again soon.

Dear Ahmet Dayı, your passing make us deeply sad. Rest in peace. Hope you will be with your children and family again.

Seçkin Karadağ

2008 yılının Şubat ayında eşim Buket ve ben Calgary'e doktora çalışmaları yapmak amacıyla İstanbul’dan kalkan uçağa bindiğimizde, bu seyahatin hayatımız boyunca iyiliklerini asla unutmayacağımız Ahmet abiyi tanıma fırsatı vereceğini bilmiyorduk.

Ahmet abi insana güven veren, tam bir mühendis karakteri olan bir insandı. Soğukkanlı, cömert ve beyefendi bir kişiydi. Yardımseverdi ve güçlü bir karakteri vardı.

Kayıp haberini aldığımda çok üzüldüm. Onun yanında olamadığım ve taşıdığım minnet duygusunu kendisi ile paylaşamadığım için üzgünüm.

Nur içinde yatsın.

Yunus Ziya ARSLAN

Bob Davis

So very sorry to hear of Ahmet's passing. Although we worked half a world apart, I benefited greatly from his fundamental technical expertise. His wisdom was dispensed to all, without any regard for company politics. His visit to Yemen was especially memorable to me, as he coached us all on some petroleum engineering basics that were often misunderstood. I did not know of his many other interests and accomplishments, but none of them surprise me. Deepest sympathies to his family, friends and community.

I worked with Ahmet for so many years. He was a consistently kind and thoughtful man. My sincere sympathy to his family. He will be missed by all those who had the privilege to know him

Kate Winterbottom

Ahmet Baykan was my very dear friend for 40 years. It is very difficult to accept that he is no longer with us. First of all, Ahmet was a wonderful human being. He was caring, generous, and always willing to help anyone at any time. Ahmet was an excellent engineer, a venerable master of spread sheets. For example, he expertly prepared our practical REServoir tool kit that I and many of his colleagues used while at Nexen. This was just one example of Ahmet’s wealth of knowledge and experience in the oil and gas industry.

Ahmet was also one of the founding members of the Calgary Turkish Canadian Cultural Association where he served many years in different capacities. The Turkish community has lost an invaluable member. I have personally lost an even more dear friend. Rest in Peace.

Turgay Ogut

I was very sorry to hear that Ahmet passed away. He was a truly an engineer and was a master of spreadsheets. He was always pleasant, considerate and helpful towards others - a great colleague to work with. My condolences for his family.

Dave Richardson

I am deeply saddened to hear the news of Ahmet's passing. My sincerest condolences to his family. There are so many things I could say about Ahmet but what I remember the most was his kindness and generosity, he was a good man, a fine human being.

We were teammates for 5 years and in that time we spent many hundreds of hours together, not only working together but discussing life, the universe and everything, something he loved to do. He possessed an amazing intellect, as anyone who worked with him could tell you he was a brilliant mathematician. The tale of his coming to America is my favourite of his stories. You all may know it, but I will tell it anyway. A major oil company decided to hold a mathematics competition in his native Turkey. The prize being a scholarship to study petroleum engineering in the United States    Ahmet a boy from a small village, won the nation wide competition, left his home and family and landed in New York City unable to speak a word of english, but undaunted. To me this story epitomized not only his inteligence but his courageous spirit.

I will miss you my friend.

Tom.

So sorry to hear of Ahmet’s passing. We worked together at Nexen, and Ahmet struck me as the consumate engineer - always a gentleman, he knew his stuff, and his spreadsheet models were legendary. Rest in peace Ahmet - you leave behind many friends and colleagues who are better for having known you, and mourn your passing.

Ahmet was a valued colleague and dear friend.

I will miss him very much.

Leslie Randell

I worked with Ahmet when he was the main engineer for block 51. He was an excellent engineer and an even better person. I literally told several senior managers that if I ever had to have a bridge built, I would want him to design it for me. (Even though that is not the type of engineer he was, but you never had to check a calculation he made.) Ahmet you were a great coworker and you will be missed by many. I will pray for your family. Rest in Peace.

I will never ever forget you and yours you left behind. Rest is peace Ahmet Dayi

Sevgili Dayicigim,

Seninle uzun telefon sohbetlerimi cok ozlemistim. Ama gordum ki son zamanlarinda bunu yapmak senin icin cok zordu. Aramizdaki mesafe cok uzak olsa bile sen hep bizimleydin. Sesin hala kulaklarimda. Bir kez daha vatanina gelip herkesle herseyle ozlem gidermeyi cok istedigini biliyorum. Bunu yapamamis olman beni cok uzdu. Ama kismet son gunlerini cocuklarinin yaninda gecirmekmis. Soyleyecegim o kadar cok sey varki ama ben duygularimi yazmakta zorlaniyorum. Senin kaybin hepimiz icin cok zor oldu.

Isiklar icinde uyu sevgili dayicigim. Mekanin cennet olsun.

Tulay

Dear Ahmet Dayi,

I miss our long phone calls but I was also aware that it was hard for you on your last times. You were always with us even if the distance between us was too far. Your voice is still in my head. I know well that you wanted to come to your hometown once again in order to fulfill your longing for everything and everybody here. It saddens me very much that you couldn’t do it. But it’s ok. It seems that your fate was to spend your last days with your children. There are a lot to say but it’s hard for me to write down my feelings. It’s very hard for all of us to lose you.

Rest In Peace my dear Ahmet Dayi..

Tulay

Canım dayım,

Sen ne kadar uzaklarda olsanda her zaman bize bir nefes kadar yakındın. Her zaman kalbimizde, aklımızda sen vardın. Çocuk denecek yaşta Amerika'ya okumaya gittin. Seneler sonra yağmurlu bir gecede Türkiye'ye geldiğin günü hiç unutamam. Bütün sülale bizim evde seni bekliyoruz. Kapı çaldı, ben açtım. Karşımda sen. 'Kızım ben senin dayınım' dedin. Dilim tutulmuştu, konuşamadım o anda. Evde sevinç çığlıkları, unutulmaz bir geceydi.

Dayım sen bizim için eşsiz bir insan, iyi bir arkadaş, yardımsever ve örnek alınacak bir kişiydin, yerin doldurulamaz. Senin gibi bir dayım olduğu için çok şanslıyım. Dayım biz seni kaybetmedik, sen her an bizimlesin kalbimizde, aldığımız her nefestesin. Bizlere emeğin çok güzel dayım, hakkın ödenemez. Allah çocuklarının karşısına senin gibi iyi insanlar çıkarsın, mutlu ve sağlıklı yaşasınlar.

Işıklar içerisinde uyu canım dayım,

Sevgilerle,

Nilgün

---

My dear uncle,

No matter how far away you are, you were always as close to us as a breath. You were always in our hearts and minds. You went to study at USA at a young age. After many years, I can never forget the day that you arrived in Turkey on a rainy night. The whole family waited you at our house. The door knocked, and I opened it. You were standing in front of me. You said, 'Girl, I'm your uncle'. My tongue was stuck, I couldn't speak at that moment. The screams of joy was at home, It was an unforgettable night.

My uncle, you were a unique and wise person, also a good friend. You are irreplaceable. I am very lucky to have uncle as you. I wish that your child has a chance to meet someone like you. I haven't really lost of you. You are still here, in our hearts, in every breath we take.

I'm very grateful to you for everything you did.

With love,

Nilgün

Ahmet Dayım Amerika’ya öğrenci olarak gittiğinde ben beş yaşındaydım. O günlerden hatırlayabildiğim beni kollarımdan kaldırıp duvardaki aynaya bakmamı sağlardı. Yıllar sonra ona bunu hatırlattım. Ben onu senin için yapmıyordum. Sadece ağırlık çalışıyordum dedi gülerek. Her zamanki gibi şakacıydı.

Ben dayımın mezun olduğu lisede okurken kütüphanedeki görevli onun gibi çalışkan öğrenci görmedim demişti. Ders saati bitince kütüphanede saatlerce kalıp kitap okurmuş. Dayımın Matematik öğretmeni Hasan Bey ve Kimya öğretmeni Firüzan Hanım benim de öğretmenim oldu. Sınıfta dayımdan bahsederken gurur duyardım. Hikayelerini anlattığım okul arkadaşlarım, komşularım, iş arkadaşlarım ilgiyle dinlerlerdi.

Ben küçükken anneannem ile sinemaya gittiğimizde havaaalanı sahnesi görünce sanki dayımı görecekmiş gibi heyecanlanırdık. O zamanlar karar vermiştim mühendis olmaya. Daha sonra ailemle Amerikaya gittiğimde de bana destek olmuştu. Onun tavsiyeleri ile kolay uyum sağlamıştım orada yaşamaya. Bütün bu birikimler bana ve aileme çok şey kattı. Eşim Ali de çok saygı duyardı. Uzun telefon görüşmelerinin konusu insanlık ,dünya meseleleri olurdu. Her ikisi de değer verirlerdi birbirlerinin fikrine.

İşte Ahmet Baykan bizler için öncü, can yoldaş, arkadaş her şeydi. Seni hiç unutmayacağız dayıcığım. Hep anacağız, kalbimizde yaşatacağız. Evlilik kararını ilk benimle paylaşmıştı. İlk ben tanışmıştım Handan ve ailesi ile. Çok güzel vakitler geçirmiştim onlarla. Allah rahmet etsin, dualarım onlar içinde.

Altay Artun Selin Kayra canlarım sizlerde bizim için çok değerlisiniz. Çünkü ondan kalan emanetlersiniz. Ben ve koca ailemiz her türlü desteğe hazırız size. Her zaman sizinleyiz. Sevinçlerinizi üzüntülerinizi paylaşın bizimle.

Dua ediyorum. Bundan sonraki hayatlarınızda bütün zorlukların üstesinden kolaylıkla gelirsiniz. Hep anlatırdı sizleri yürüyüşlerinizi, gittiğiniz lokantaları, sizlere getirdiği ayran ve lahmacunları. Sizleri çok seviyorum. Ahmet Baykan gibi kapatacağım mesajımı. O hep böyle yazardı bitirirken.

Sevgilerimle…

Hoşçakalın…

Sizi çok seven Kuzeniniz…

Gülay Akoğlu

Ahmet Baykan canım dayım sen ne kadar uzaklarda olsanda her zaman bize bir nefes kadar yakındın çocukluğumuz gençliğimiz hayatımız sana olan hayranlık sana olan sevgi ve özlemle geçti sen bizim kahramanımızdin çocuklarımızada hep senin anlattık çocuklarım senin ne kadar harika bir insan olduğunu görerek yaşayarak seni örnek alarak büyüdüler seni bir daha görememe sohbet edememe o güzel sesini duyamama gerçeği çok acı ama sen bizim her an aklımız da kalbimizde her aldığımız nefestesin canım dayım Allah evlatlarını korusun karşılarına senin gibi harika insanlar çıkarsın seni hiç unutmayacağız ışıklar içinde uyu

If you are reading this, you know somehow with Ahmet Baykan. I don't think I can find the right words to describe him. He guided the lives of many people like me. Those who know him and grow up with his story have understood me very well. Almost every day, when I was in my school ages, my grandma always talked about her brother's success story. She was especially talked about how he liked the every kind of books, and even if the conditions were not favorable how a hard worker he was. His life story always encouraged me and my other family members. I became an engineer like you Ahmet Dayı, even if our departments are different, I hope I will be successful like you.

He always thought of others and devoted his life to benefit for others. He would enjoy it very much and he believed that this meant life.

Beside his talent in engineering, he was very successful in social intelligence as well. He can describe what he lived using a very literary language. That's why I would like to talk to him both on the face and on the phone. Maybe I can't describe it as impressive as he did, but I want to share about his dialogue with my grandma. When he was visiting Niğde once, my grandma and he started talking about birthdays. Unfortunately, many of people did not know the exact date of birth in the past. My grandma talked about what her mother said. Their mother (Ayşe Baykan) told my grandma that she gave birth to my grandma in 9 of the dead of winter. The dead of winter is expressed as Kara Kış or Zemheri in Turkish. Ahmet Dayı immediately jumped into the story. He laughed with a very big smile on his face. Dear my sister, you shouldn’t believe my mom. Because she used to say the same thing about my birthday :) I said the birthdays were unknown, but both of them were born in Zemheri in conclusion.

Altay, Selin, Artun and Kayra, I want to remind you that you have a lot of cousins you can reach when you need. But not only when you need, you guys can contact with me anytime you want. Love you Guys!

I went to Niğde on New Year break on January 2020, he called again on the phone and said Seraycığım Hoşgeldin. Ahmet Dayıcığım, I will always remember you with cheerful and energetic sound. Rest in peace Ahmet Dayı.

Seray

Our dear Ahmet Dayi,

It’s hard to say goodbye without seeing you one last time. You touched our lives with your kindness and unconditional love. You helped me to realize my dreams and supported me all the time. I am happy if I could make you a bit happy showing that your support has actually changed the life of a kid who was born in a little city in the middle of Turkey. I became a doctor but unfortunately couldn’t help you with that cruel illness which took you from us and neither let us say a proper goodbye. Thanks for all again and again. You had a big heart that will never die and keep warming our hearts even if we cannot see or hear you again. Selin, Artun, Altay and Kayra... I hope we can meet one day and see our Ahmet Dayi once again through your beautiful smiles.

Affectionately,

Gizem

Ahmet Dayı was one of the great people who guided my life. He truly is the reason when it comes to pick my degree as a petroleum engineer. But I am not the only one he changed their life. While growing up I and many of my family members were raised with stories of Ahmet Dayı. My memories unfortunately very limited with the times when he was able to visit Turkey. But there was this long telephone calls which always ended with a very big smile on my face. He always picked up the phone as “Goksucugum nasılsın?” with a big smile that I could even see through his excided sound. I am so lucky to remember that happiness of those phone calls.

He truly was a legend not only for his relatives but also for many people who knew him or who has been raised with his success stories. Ahmet Dayı was a great role model for many people in Nigde. You would be surprised how many people named their sons Ahmet, after him. There is a phrase in Turkish “anlatsam film olur” which means the things a person was gone true is worthy enough to be scenario for a movie. Ahmet Dayı’s life was a story like that.

He had such a big hart and he never spend a day without thinking other peoples problems. But for sure there is not a single day that people knew him and loved him did not remember him as well. Especially my grandma, his sister. He truly is like a part of herself that was missing since he went to study abroad. This missing feeling will last for many people who admire him till their last breath.

My mother who also is an engineer because of Ahmet Dayı touched her life was one of the few people he could speak in his last days from Nigde and she told that he could say a peaceful goodbye. I believe his children have grate role in this. I am so proud of the children he raise. Altay, Artun, Selin, and Kayra never forget you have a great family in Türkiye, you are so much loved unconditionally. We all are here for you if you need anything, any time. Love you all.

Goksu