In Memory of

Homa

Navab

Obituary for Homa Navab

Homa Taj Navab Gojrati Kazerounian ( Homa Navab)
1929 – 2021





Homa Navab
A Poet, writer, scholar, and our mother.
December 26, 1929 - May 19, 2021

Homa was born in Shiraz, a city known for its poetry and culture. Shiraz is also home to the great poet Hafiz, whose poetry consoled Homa throughout her life. She never left the sight of her Hafiz book.

She was born to a family where education and knowledge was deemed pivotal for their children, regardless of gender. Homa went to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Tehran university in 1953, after finishing high school in Shiraz. She married the love of her life, Jaffar Kazerounian, while still a university student.

Homa possessed a curious mind, an active imagination, and most significantly, she had an unlimited passion for what was important to her.
We recall the many times she shared her memories of being the best student in all her classes, aspiring her teachers and peers. She thrived on challenges and her passion to learn. Homa’s thirst for knowledge was infectious and it guided us through our life, molding us into who we are today.

Homa was a storyteller. We grow up in a household where listening to her readings and stories from the books of Eskandar Nameh and Hezaro Yekshab filled our nights. We were effortlessly enchanted by her lively storytelling and imagined we were characters in her fictional landscapes and magical worlds.

Homa started her career as a chemistry teacher and continued in this field for over 20 years in Shiraz and Tehran. Her real passion, however, remained to be poetry and writing. She published many articles and poems throughout the years. One of her published poems from decades ago is brought to life here expressing her passion:



In later years, Homa wrote four books about God and Erfan (mysticism), (ابشاره نور, دریایه نور ,عشقه وحید, شعله هایه عرفان). She was truly a spiritual woman and forces beyond our understanding guided her throughout her life. Reading a chapter in one of her books I came across an excerpt where she had used her knowledge of atomic and molecular structures to argue the existence of a supreme being, the creature of life and universe.

Even with all her accomplishments of nobility, what we remember about her the most is her sense of motherhood. Homa was a lioness when it came to her children. She lived her daily life to raise, to culture, to educate and to protect her five children. Experiencing the death of her husband and the loss of her only daughter earlier in life made her more determined to push forward and empower her sons. Her love and affection as a mother were unbounded. In her later years when she was suffering with physical pain, it was only the sight of her children that could bring a smile to her face. It would never fail.

Homa spent the last chapter of her life in California independently. She eventually moved in to live with her youngest son Ali, who took care of her as her physical condition worsened. She was loved and surrounded by her immediate family and friends who were always there to visit and cherish her, for that we feel privileged to have been there.

We will remember you forever Maman jan.

Kazem, Reza , Hossein, and Ali Kazerounian
Homa, is left behind by her four sons, their spouses, eight grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.