Sorur (Suri) Mirrezaei
With heavy hearts we announce the passing of our dear mother Sorur (Suri) Mirrezaei. Born on August 21st, 1948. She passed away peacefully surrounded by family on February 5th, 2020 at Chapman House in Owen Sound. Suri is survived by her daughters, Naghmeh Sarbakhsh and Neda Sarbakhsh and her beloved son-in-law Nick Ferrence who with she shared a special bond. Suri’s only grandchild is Sam Amirbashiri and he was her world. She was thrilled to see Sam grow into a fine young gentleman. She’s predeceased by her beloved husband, Hassan Sarbakhsh (2008) and her sister Fereshteh Ravanshenas (Mirrezaei). She is survived by her three brothers Mahmood, Mohamad and Mehdi and was adored by her nieces, nephews and many, many friends who she influenced with her love over the years.
Suri grew up in Tehran, married at a young age and lived with her beloved husband, Hassan for 42 years. She returned to school with Hassan’s encouragement and received her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology. Several years later she went back to school and received her Master’s degree in Cultural Management. For most of her career she worked for the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology in Tehran until retirement. She was the head of the committee for academic evaluations of university professors. She was well respected and very supportive of her staff. Suri had a big presence with a very positive outlook on life. With her strong personality and will power she overcame many obstacles in the difficult years of post-revolution in Iran.
Suri was an avid gardener and enjoyed more opportunities after her retirement. In 2008 she immigrated to Canada and lived with Nick and Neda in Toronto. Moving to the other part of the world at 60 was not an easy task but with her positive attitude and will, she made the transition. She gardened in the city and looked after neighbourhood children. She also loved to cook Persian food for friends and family. She was up for any challenge. She moved with Nick and Neda to Tobermory in 2015. She loved working in her garden at the corner of Warner Bay Road and Highway Six and brought it back to life; working in it right up until this past fall. Suri fit beautifully into her new community and was well loved. She always appreciated the love and support of her new friends.
Please join us as was we celebrate the life of Suri, Sunday, February 16th, 2020 at Tobermory United Church. There will be short service at 2:00 p.m. followed by refreshments and an opportunity to share our stories of Suri. For our network in Toronto we will hold another celebration of life on Saturday, February 22nd, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. at Parya Trillium Foundation (344 John St, Thornhill, ON L3T 5W6) there will be a short service followed by refreshments and an opportunity to share our great memories of Suri.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our dear friends in the community who embraced our mom, always made her feel at home and have supported all of us during her illness. We would like to send our sincere regards to the amazing staff at the Clinic, Lion’s Head hospital and especially Dr Blau and the wonderful staff of Chapman House in Owen Sound. In lieu of flowers, please make donations directly to the Bruce Peninsula Health Services Foundation – Lion’s Head Hospital (www.bphsfoundation.com) or Chapman House in Owen Sound (www.greybrucehospice.com)
Our love to you!
Neda, Nick, Naghmeh and Sam