Tahmouress Tahmassebi

Tom Tahmassebi passed away peacefully with his family by his side on November 16, 2021. Tom was born in Tehran, Iran on December 26, 1941, the

son of Khalil and Talat Tahmassebi. Tom grappled with the severe effects of Parkinson’s these past few years, and recently suffered a severe decline with the illness.

Tom is survived by his beloved wife Mojdeh (Kalantar), daughter Tina Tahmassebi van der Ven (Alex) of Coconut Grove, FL, sons David (Lori) of Brookville, OH, Robert (Danna) of Melbourne, FL, and Nima of Miami, FL ; 7 grandchildren – David Jr., TJ, Robin, Lydia, Emily, Ethan, and Sienna, a great-granddaughter due to arrive in February 2022; brother, Tahmaseb Tahmassebi (Simin) and a loving family of several sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews whom he adored and cared for throughout the years. He is preceded in death by his parents and his sisters, Nastaran and Tanaz.

Tom owned and operated Abernathy’s Paint & Body Shop, Inc., the oldest body shop in Fort Lauderdale, from 1981 until 2019, when he retired. Tom was known for being able to strike up a conversation with clients, friends, and family with ease. His interests, background, and experiences created a wealth of knowledge, which made Tom an excellent conversationalist. He was a lover of antique cars,

documentaries, history, art, news, movies, desserts, grey goose martinis straight up with double olives,

gardening, chocolate, his kids, his grandchildren, naps, food, and fine dining. In fact, no meal was ever good enough, except for one -- Le Jules Verne in Paris actually passed the test. He loved to share his experiences with family and friends, and he told these stories with such passion and detail, that it almost seemed as if you were there with him.

Tom loved unique collectibles, and one such item he owned was a full-size antique jukebox. His grandchildren have many happy memories of dancing to the music of that jukebox, and Tom thoroughly relished in their happiness. He was also known for giving them a tour of the lychee trees in the garden, whose fruit they loved to pick and eat with him. The grandchildren adored him, and they will carry those beautiful memories with them throughout their lives.

Tom and Mojdeh (Mary) were an active part of the University School community for decades, with daughter Tina (Tahmassebi) van der Ven (class of 1997) and Nima Tahmassebi (class of 2007) beginning their U School education from early childhood. They always welcomed their children’s friends into their home and were often thought of as second parents to some of those friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the National Parkinson’s Foundation. A tribute page can be found here: http://bit.ly/3FkvnNH

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