NEWBURY PARK FAMILY MOURNS HIKER CLIMBER, 51, FELL TO HIS DEATH ON MOUNT BALDY.Byline: Angie Valencia Staff Writer NEWBURY PARK - The family of hiker Ali Aminian, who fell to his death this week on Mount Baldy Mount Baldy or Baldy Mountain may refer to:
v. Past tense and past participle of cling. clung Verb the past of cling clung cling to their memories of him Thursday as a strong and loving husband and father. The 51-year-old Newbury Park man, missing three days before his body was found Wednesday morning, slipped on an icy trail and fell more than 600 feet down a mountain slope. ``When I lost my parents, my sisters served as my support group,'' said his wife, Roberta, as she sat with sons Keyon, 14, and Bidjan, 19, and daughter Jilaa, 21, at their home. ``I never thought I'd be the one losing a husband and consoling our three children. He was the backbone of this family.'' She recalled the couple's first meeting on a blind date 24 years ago: dinner at a Chinese restaurant See:
She remembered being captivated cap·ti·vate tr.v. cap·ti·vat·ed, cap·ti·vat·ing, cap·ti·vates 1. To attract and hold by charm, beauty, or excellence. See Synonyms at charm. 2. Archaic To capture. by his attentiveness at·ten·tive adj. 1. Giving care or attention; watchful: attentive to detail. 2. Marked by or offering devoted and assiduous attention to the pleasure or comfort of others. and gentlemanly manner when a gold chain fell from her neck, and he bent over, picked it up and gently placed it on her neck. ``When I first saw him, I thought to myself, he's not my type but he's polite,'' she said. ``But then when I got to know him, I realized he was everything I could ever want in a lifelong partner.'' That partnership ended Sunday. The night before, Roberta and Ali had attended a basketball game, cheering on their youngest son. That was typical of the family man, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. his wife and kids. When they got home, Ali, an experienced hiker, went straight to bed, knowing he'd need some rest before embarking on his Sunday hike. He left about 3 a.m. That was the last time they saw him. At 6 p.m., family members began to worry. Ali was one to call the family upon reaching the summit or after completing the hike. ``We were all trying to figure out where he was,'' said the couple's eldest son, Bidjan. ``When I called him on his cell phone, the call went straight to his voice mail.'' The family grew desperate for answers. So Bidjan text-messaged him: ``Hey Katcheli. Where are you?'' Katcheli, from the Farsi language, is a term of endearment en·dear·ment n. 1. The act of endearing. 2. An expression of affection, such as a caress. endearment Noun an affectionate word or phrase Noun 1. Bidjan used for his father. There was no answer. About 12:30 a.m. Monday, family members called the San Bernardino San Bernardino, city, United States San Bernardino (săn bûr'nədē`nō), city (1990 pop. 164,164), seat of San Bernardino co., S Calif., at the foot of the San Bernardino Mts.; inc. 1854. County Sheriff's Department. At 5 a.m., a search and rescue team got to work. As the search intensified in·ten·si·fy v. in·ten·si·fied, in·ten·si·fy·ing, in·ten·si·fies v.tr. 1. To make intense or more intense: , several search and rescue teams joined in the effort, said Tom Roseman, the leader of the China Lake Mountain Rescue Group that found Aminian's body. ``It's a steep slope,'' Roseman said. ``He slipped about 1,000 feet.'' A Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County sheriff's helicopter recovered the body of the Iran native who began climbing mountains more than 30 years ago back in his homeland. Fellow hikers and close friends say Aminian never made it to the top. ``He always wanted me to go to Iran with him to do some climbing there,'' said Bob Rockwell, a search and rescue volunteer and close friend. ``When we discovered his body, I was certain it was him. He loved hiking. He loved climbing.'' His wife and children, meanwhile, are grappling with their sudden loss. ``It's such a tragedy,'' said son Bidjan. ``You say goodbye and then the next day they don't come home. I want to go up to the spot where he fell just so that I can picture his last moments.'' Funeral arrangements have yet to be determined for Aminian, who would have turned 52 on Jan. 28. Angie Valencia, (805) 583-7602 angie.valencia(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Roberta Aminian, center, holding a family photograph, stands with her children, from left, Bidjan, Keyon and Jilaa. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer |
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