Hi everyone:

Thank you so much for being here, It's lovely to see so many friends and family here today to celebrate Aunt Sima’s life whom I always called Khaleh Sisi, the nickname that I gave her as a kid and forever will be etched with love in my heart. 

We knew her from all many aspects of the colorful life she lived. The vibrant, loving image of her soul shines through each detail of the stories shared,  and that is exactly who Khaleh Sisi was. 

No matter if you met her on the street, at work meetings or for any occasions, there were certain trades that was only unique to her. 

Her infectious smile that instantly made you feel happy, warm and welcomed, The sparkle in her beautiful hazel color eyes and that lush legendary majestic hair that she always swept away from her face in such a natural and magical way. There was something about her that made her so unforgettable. 

She was a kind, loving and gentle soul but yet with determination that could move mountains. I always admired her independence, zest for life and the strength she had. She always knew what she wanted and never stopped until she had it in her grasp. 

She also knew how to have fun and always was the life of the party.

In the hardest days of her life she never lost that bold sense of hummer she had, 

(ooh I will miss that sense of humor so much), 

In all her life to the end, she rarely cried and making us all laugh even when she was in pain, she was what we call a warrior woman.

She did not put up, give up or ever settled, she was truly an unforgettable force of nature, a badass facing challenges of life and living life exactly how she wanted, even that made her strong headed, we all loved her for it.  

She was a role model to me and many women, as an immigrant in her early 30’s she worked so hard and with that sharp as a nail mind of hers she built a successful and independent life. 

She showed me that it is possible to grow and to live a life on my own term. 

I admit I am one of the ones that many times called her a workaholic but the truth and the beauty of her hard work was the fact that she loved what she did and she was so good at it. 

She deeply cared about her clients, and I loved how she enjoyed sharing her knowledge and the stars in her eyes when she used her unmatched ability to solve problems. 

As I was preparing for this speech I was wondering how I can ever justify and honor the woman she was and what she meant to me in words,  so I decided to share with you how amazing it felt to have her as an aunt, 

Being an aunt was one of her identity that she loved and was so proud of. Like everything else she did, she was the best Aunt any of us could ever wish for. Khaleh sisi was not only my aunt but the aunt to the world, she had countless nieces and nephews around the world, every kid that met khaleh sisi claimed her as their own and she so generously opened her heart to them all.

No matter if you called her khaleh sisi, ameh sima or auntie I bet she was your favorite aunt that you loved and adored but also the aunt that you knew if you did something wrong she wont let you get away with it. 

I have been receiving texts from all of her nieces and nephews, talking about playing hide and seek with her, running away as she pretended to be a hungry monster, she would say, you are a delicious lamb and when I catch you I will put you in Baghali polo and eat you.

We will forever remember her words of wisdom, the beautiful way she viewed life and how she made all of our lives better and more colorful.

She sang to us as we were kids, guided us as teenagers, partied with us as adults and always made each of us feel special and loved.

One of my cousins shared with me how whenever things got tough she would say, I will think about it tomorrow, tomorrow is another day” 

her wisdom and strength of living in the moment.

My sister in her post thanked khaleh sisi for the most amazing childhood memories she gave all of us, how she will love and miss her forever and cherished her kindness and the fact that she made her house in LA always a home for all of us, a hub a place to come together from all over,  

No question asked you just say khaleh sisi I am coming and she would fill the fridge with our favorite foods and snacks from Persian stores, took us shopping, and scold us that she has to pay at the restaurants because no matter that we are all adults now, we are still her babies.

She held us when we cried, cheered us on but more than anything for me I am blessed that she danced with us, As long as I live she is the joy I have in my heart whenever I dance. She thought me to dance through happiness and sadness under the sun or the blanket of darkest nights. 

I once got her a frame with these words, 

” I get up, I walk, I fall down, meanwhile I keep dancing” 

,the frame is sitting next to other frames I got her, reading, Love you more, She who must be obeyed, the queen of everything and love you to the moon and back, … 

all true words in her case, as I am sure she is already wearing a crown, flipping her hair and, dancing her way in to new adventures, as I will forever love her to the moon and back and miss her in every second of everyday ,

but also I am finding peace in knowing how fortunate I was to be loved by her unconditionally .I am so grateful for all the amazing lessons she thought me and the privilege I had to love her and have her by my side, to teach me how to dance in storm and cherish love and kindness.

I know the pain of this great loss will never go away but neither the great love we shared but that is the nature of love, the greater the love the greater the loss. 

She forever will live on in the hearts of people who loved her, carried in stories shared about her, conveyed in all the lessons we learned from her and the sparkles of her loving glamours soul will shine forever.

Khaleh Sisi from all of your nieces and nephews in this world we send you off with endless love to the light and we all are so grateful for how amazing you were.  

May your soul dance forever in wonders of this vast universe. 

Thank you.

On behalf of myself and my family I want to express our gratitude for all the love and support that have been shared with us by all of you during this difficult times. We are truly touched, honored and grateful for all of you taking the time out of your day to be here, as well as for all the kind words, sincere condolences, helping hands, donations in Sima’s name, flowers and all the million different unique ways you shared this grief,  shouldered the weight  and lighten our burden of such great loss.

We are so grateful to all the medical staff that cared for our Sima with such respect and love. We specially thank Dr. Fouladian for truly being there for her as a friend and allowing her and us to reach him at any time as well as holding our hands through panics and pain so gently and with care. 

We also thank Mr and Mrs. Mansouri for the beautiful words and guiding the program today and for the lovely flower arrangements for this ceremony. Many thanks to the staff at lux hotel for helping us putting this event together. 

From Sima and I, we love to show our appreciation to all of you who loved sima, enriched her life, made her laugh and walked this journey with her. Thank you to all who showed up then and now, the ones that took her to dr appointments, helped her with shopping, cooked her favorite food, made daily calls and endless ways that you showered her with love and care and did your best to share her pain and be there for her. We can’t thank you enough. 

Many friends and family members reached out to me and thanked me for being there for Sima, I am so humble by all of your kind words and thankful for the privilege of being by her side to the end.

I also want to mention that no one can go through such tragedy alone without an army of angels. I personally want to express my deepest gratitude for all the people that I call the silent helpers. The ones that hold me together in any possible way they knew so I could be there for Khaleh Sisi and even today still holding me together so I can honor her the way she deserved.

Much appreciation to my Chicago tribe that in past 3 years came together and with such grace, picked up my life and took care of my affairs so I could travel back and forth for extended amount of time to LA.

To my LA friends and family, whom gave me rides, made their home a sanctuary for me, providing me with all I needed even if it meant a hug a cup of tea or cuddling with their pet after long hours of hospital visits, the ones who walked endless hours with me so I could let go of frustration and be calm, I cant name every single ways you stood by me but I am so thankful for all of them. 

Million thanks to my sister, friends and family all over the world that listened to my cries, long midnight calls and so on, you reached out and helped however you could. The list of all people and all the ways they showed up to glue my broken heart together then and now is endless and so is the gratitude in my heart. 

Your kindness will never be forgotten and forever will be cherished, I have learned so much from you that have shaped me for better . Because of you, now I know that there are endless ways I can be there for others, this world goes around because of beautiful souls like all my silent helpers, may your kind hearts beat in health and happiness forever. 

I am grateful to all of you for coming,

I know we are all here….to celebrate her love of life.

Ever since I can remember she was involved in all aspects of my life.

My grandmothers home was a hang out place where all of our family would gather after work. And sima, was the life of the party. So much so, that growing up,

her friends would fight over who’s house she would visit on the weekends.

Sima has always synonymous with love

She showed her love in many ways

She showed her love through her honesty and straightforwardness You might not have always liked what she would say to you but you knew that it was out of love.

She showed her love through giving.

She loved giving presents, she did it to see the joy expressed through her love ones smiles.

Sima loved giving, it was one of her greatest joys.

But growing up I most remember her smile. It would light up the room and she would become at an instant an unforgettable light to the ones graced in her presence.

I know that although she is not here with us in a physical sense , her love for life and her love for all of us is still felt.

Her love for all things.

It was something you felt in person or if you were half way across the world talking to her on the phone.

From every one that is here and the rest of her loved ones joining us from near and far. I like to thank you all for celebrating her life and remembering her as the wonderful women that I had the honor to know my whole life.

I knew Sima from back home when I was a teenager but only as the sister of my mom’s best friend. We

started spending time together & because friends when she came to LA in the mid-eighties.

When she started working with Frank, our offices were just a few blocks from each other on Wilshire Blvd.,

so we spent a lot of time together, going for drinks & dinners after work & our friendship became much

stronger as years passed by.

Going to Ebbi’s concerts was a frequent event for us & I remember her smiling face seating next to me &

singing out loud with Ebbi. In every Ebbi’s concert, we would wonder if we ever go to a Googoosh concert

in LA? And luckily we did go together to her first ever concert in Los Angeles.

Sima was smart, hardworking, and a perfectionist dedicated to her work. She was kind, loyal, honest & your

secrets were safe with her. She was also direct and very stubborn. There is a story about her & her sister

Nahid joon that I like; they were in high school and having a fight therefore not talking to each other. One

night that Nahid had a big test the next morning, she leaves a note asking Sima to wake her up at 6 in the

morning. Nahid did not get up on time and was angry with Sima for not waking her up. But Sima has also

left a note for Nahid saying, wake up, it is 6 o’clock!

She also had a closing line for me when I did not agree with her and she was not winning the argument

which was “listen to your older sister & do as I say”. I had no response to that, she was like a sister to me.

I owe my very happy life with Ali to Sima, she introduced me to him when she sent me for a job interview

and eventually changed my life. We were extremely blessed to have Sima in our 25th wedding anniversary

last December which I think was the last time she ever left her home for a happy occasion.

Sima & I also took a few trips to Vegas & drove to Carmel for some girl time. I remember that it was on

PCH going to Carmel that as she put it, I confessed to her about developing a personal relationship with Ali

which at the time, and as my older sister, she was not too crazy about, but she ended up loving Ali like a

brother.

Going back to the time that our offices were very close, she was also buying her first condo. She came to my

bank & I put her in touch with the loan department. I remember her sitting across my desk with her beautiful

smile like it was yesterday. As it turned out, we recently moved to the building next to her first condo &

now, every time I leave our house, I see her old balcony a few feet away from me.

Sima was also a fighter which is why we had her longer than anticipated. No words can express my sadness

& sorrow, I was so lucky to have had her in my life & for as long as I did. Sima was my BFF, I miss her so

much and don’t know I am going to do without her, she will be loved forever & never forgotten.

See Memorial Service Zoom Recording.

Hi everyone, thank you so much for coming today. I’m Mana, Sima’s niece and god-daughter. 

I’m going to miss my Khaleh Sisi dearly. I am still trying to comprehend the fact that she is gone. 

Sima has always been there for my family. When I was 9 years old and my mom was in her last stages of life, Sima was there for support every step of the way. Although she was losing her niece and someone she saw as her own daughter, she never shied away from the reality that she needed to be there for her niece’s children. 

Aside from the hard parts that she needed to be there for, she also was there simply for fun, and simply just because she wanted to. I have so many childhood memories of her visits to DC, and our visits to LA. One of our favorite inside jokes came from a time she came to visit us in DC, and she accidentally fell down our basement stairs. I was about 7 years old at the time and she told me, “Mana, look away, I need to check in the mirror if I hurt myself badly,” I said “Khaleh, I can look, you’re my blood!” Ever since then, even last summer when I saw Khaleh in LA, we always told each other, “you’re my blood!” 

One of my favorite memories with Khaleh Sima was after I graduated from high school and she flew me out to LA to spend a few days with her. She took me all around to all of the famous LA spots– but the best part was one night at Cheesecake Factory at Third Street Promenade– we went up on the top floor outdoors, on a beautiful night, and I just sat and listened to her tell me about her life for hours. Her childhood memories, her failures, her resilience, her lessons… I still remember it vividly, and I still stand by the fact that Khaleh Sima deserves to have a New York Times bestselling novel written about her life. 

The main aspect I always try to model in my life from admiring Khaleh Sisi is her independence. Khaleh would always tell me that, even if she is physically alone, she never feels lonely. She was so confident and so secure in herself, she never doubted herself even for a second. I strive every day to be just like her in that sense. It was truly inspiring and refreshing to see. 

I want to take this last moment to thank Khaleh Sisi. I want to thank her for caring so much for my Mom, throughout my mom’s childhood and also when my mom first came to this country– for always being there for me, my dad & brothers, for never once forgetting my birthday, for always celebrating my milestones, for being a true, unconditionally loving, dependable, and simply unforgettable aunt. 

I also want to thank my Khaleh Bahar, who I have been lucky enough to spend the past few days here in Khaleh Sima’s home with– she has truly given so much of herself to help Khaleh Sima for the past 3 years and especially be there for her in her last days with no complaints at all, and has been genuinely grateful for the opportunity to be there for her aunt at any point, even through the hardest days. 

On behalf of myself and my family, including my dad, Ebi Soroush, Kim-Marie Brown, Jamie Brown, Noel Brown, and my brothers and Khaleh Sima’s god-sons, Parsa and Sebastien Soroush– we will all miss Khaleh Sima dearly and we are so incredibly lucky to have known and loved her. 

Again, thank you all for coming. It is truly beautiful to see all of you here, and I can only imagine Khaleh Sima looking down on us right now with her gorgeous smile. I love you Khaleh Sima, forever and always.

See Memorial Service Zoom Recording.