Morteza Shakory

Born on February 26, 1959 in Tehran, Iran, Morteza came to the United States in 1978 to further his education, earning a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Michigan State University. He then received a master’s in Structural Engineering from Wayne State University, and a master’s in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder, before marrying his wife Cheryl and moving to Houston.

There, they raised their two treasured children, Ariana and Arman. Their home, that Morteza meticulously remodeled, was a place for many memorable and lively gatherings where he delighted family and friends with his cooking.

Morteza loved deeply, was humble, and had a gift for quietly helping others with no hesitation. He sacrificed much for his family. He had a distinctive sense of humor that made us all laugh. He loved classical music and old movies, was a talented artist, and had a penchant for sitting in the sun, swimming, traveling with family and friends, and skiing. He loved the sea.

Cherished by all who knew him, Morteza is survived by his wife, Cheryl, his daughter Ariana and her husband Ken, son Arman, his mother Pari, brother Mehran and wife Bita, sister Mehrzad and her husband Babak and her children Armin and Rojin, as well as numerous extended family members, and friends that were like family to him. He was preceded in death by his father Ahmad.

The Shakory family are very appreciative of the many medical professionals involved in his care, especially Dr. Robert Wolff and his team at MD Anderson; the excellent nurses and support staff from Medcore Preferred Hospice; and Dr. Daveesh Pandya and his staff at Oncology Consultants who provided Morteza’s initial treatment.

Ariana once told him that his illness felt so unfair. Morteza replied as only he would, “What’s really unfair are the children who are suffering with cancer.” He felt strongly that he had lived a good and fulfilling life. For this reason, in lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Morteza’s name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html).