Mary Colleen Yekani-Zaree

Colleen grew up in mid-century San Antonio, Texas. She was the middle-child of the five Barnes’ children. She was an introspective, empathetic, and deeply creative child who possessed a wanderlust. She wanted to explore and experience as much of the world as possible. After graduating high school, she enlisted in the Navy and was stationed in Pensacola, Florida. Towards the end of her service, in a Sheraton hotel that housed a discotheque, Colleen met an Iranian helicopter pilot named Nory, who loved to dance as much as she did. The two danced into the wee hours of the night and were married not long after. A pregnant Colleen traveled to Iran to be with her husband just as the country was on the precipice of a major social upheaval. The Iranian revolution forced the young family to flee to Athens, then to San Antonio before finally settling in Houston where she had her second child, a funny little boy named Sdjad. Beyond being a mother and wife, Colleen was always pushing herself creatively. She could paint massive oil canvases that explored psychological themes or decorate a batch of Christmas cookies with the same verve, heart and imagination.

Colleen is preceded in death by her beloved mother, Patricia Barnes, father, Glen Barnes, sister, Christine Barnes, and aunts, Janice Walton and Jerry Traugott. She is survived by her daughter, Cassandra Zaree, her husband Henry Goldman and grand daughter Azadah Goldman; her son Sdjad, his wife Jackie and their children, Lilah, Liam, Leora, Lennox, Levi, and Logan Yekani-Zaree.

She is also survived by her brother, Robert Barnes, and sisters, Kathleen Jakubowski and Holly Berry, and numerous nieces and nephews, Tina, Lindsay, Bianca, Caitlin, George, Bubba, Rob, Chris, and extended family members, each touched by her love.

Though our hearts ache with her absence, we find solace in the belief that Colleen now rests in the arms of her Creator, our Father in Heaven, reunited with her beloved mama, Patricia, free from earthly burdens, and shining in her full, radiant self once more. She is fully restored, walking, talking, laughing and rejoicing in the presence of Jesus. Until we meet again, may her memory be a blessing, guiding us with love and light.