Houri Mostofi Moghadam

August 18,1919 - June 15, 2018

Houri Mostofi Moghadam passed away peacefully at her home in California in the early hours of June 15, just two months shy of her 99th birthday. An amazing woman, Houri was unforgettable: exacting in her standards; fiercely independent; at once traditional and thoroughly modern; and always unafraid to embrace a rich and adventurous life.

Born in Tehran, Iran, in 1919, she was the daughter of Maryam Ardalan, a princess in the Qajar dynasty, and Abdullah Mostofi, a scholar and public servant who served in the court of Reza Shah Pahlavi as governor of Azerbaijan. Proud of her lineage, she lived a life of piety, grace, dignity, erudition, hospitality and style.

In 1942, Houri wed Mohsen Moghadam to whom she remained married until his untimely death in 1973. She consistently transcended the limitations faced by the women of her generation and was among the first Iranian women to be formally educated, learn to drive, and work outside the home.

Indeed, education was always of the greatest importance in her life. In 1939, she was among the first women to graduate from Tehran University. At the age of 40, she attended the University of Michigan on a Fulbright Scholarship, and at 65, she received a doctorate from the Université Paris-Sorbonne in French literature. Professionally, she devoted herself to a teaching career, first at the Reza Shah Kabir School in Tehran and later at the National University of Iran. Thousands of students benefitted from her knowledge and, perhaps more importantly, were inspired by her example.

In addition to being a teacher, she was also a philanthropist who not only provided financial aid to students, but who also funded schools, libraries, hospitals and orphanages. In 1975, while president of the International Women’s Club of Iran, she organized a spectacular fashion show of traditional Iranian women’s dress dating back 5,000 years. Subsequently, a book “Negare Zan” was published based on her research and the event. It remains one of the most comprehensive records of women’s historical costume in Iran.

Her life was upended by the Iranian revolution, and Houri took up residence in Paris and Nice, France. Ever disciplined, she penned journal entries in French for the following 40 years, diligently chronicling her daily life and passing history. Neither age nor exile dimmed her spirit and keen and discerning eye. Her life bridged the 20th and 21st centuries, and she maintained a remarkable ability to adapt to changing circumstances and challenges throughout the years.

Over her near-century of life, she had homes on three continents and was equally at ease in three languages. Houri loved to entertain and to be invited to events, and she had an encyclopedic memory for the detail of every dinner party, gala or wedding she attended. She was a voracious traveller, ever ready to jump on a plane to cross the globe. Her travels took her from Alaska to China and throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Through it all, Houri joon retained her inimitable sense of grace and style. She was the epitome of chic, always impeccably dressed with singular flair in the latest fashion. Even at the end of her life, she would insist on wearing her silver lamé boots when taken out for fresh air in her wheelchair.

Houri was a loving matriarch to the large family she held dear. She is survived by her children Mariam Safinia, Ladan Lari and Hamid Moghadam; their spouses Faramarz Safinia, Ali Lari and Tina Moghadam; her grandchildren Leila, Marjan, Firouzeh, Sanam and Cyrus; and her great-grandchildren Omid, Kamran, Kian, Lily, Amir and Eden. She is also survived by her youngest sister Nayer Mostofi Glenn. Her other siblings, Nassrollah, Mehri and Bagher, preceded her on their journey home.

If, in the end, we are remembered for what we gave to others, Houri led by example. Her life was a master class in how to balance style with measure; engagement with detachment; and acceptance with grace. To her children and all who were privileged to know her, Houri remained a teacher and a mentor to the end, and she lives on in the countless lives she touched.