Reza Ghadimi

Reza was born on February 23, 1931. His father passed away soon after his birth. Shortly thereafter, his mother, Khadijah (Madar), left her small hometown of Malayer to travel to Tehran. Madar wanted to give his son more opportunities in the larger capital city. Reza did not disappoint his mother. With his razor-sharp intellect and hard work, he excelled in all his studies and was recognized nationally for his high marks and academic progress. Reza had a friend, Jamshid, who was a person of short stature. Jamshid was a year older than Reza and they would walk to school together. Reza later reflected on the number of times he got into fights (and how much beating he received) defending his friend, who other children would tease and call names. Reza was always a champion for the underdog and the less fortunate; even though he also did not come from a life of luxury and had hardships he endured and survived as a young boy and a teenager.

At the early age of fifteen, Reza joined the army. Although he did not meet the required age limit of sixteen, an exception was made for him. He still had to attend night classes to finish his studies and to earn his high school diploma. This only made Reza stronger and more resilient. He worked and studied in order to take care of his aging mother. During this time, he developed a character of utter selflessness, resolution, and perseverance. Reza went on to receive accolades in the army.

Reza was exceptionally good at sports as well. Indeed, he was usually the captain of various sports teams, so that he could get excused from scut work duty. He loved exercising. During his breaks from active duty, instead of resting in the barracks, he would go to the gym and work out. He was quick and agile and as such would be able to climb fast and excelled in army exercises. Thus, he was able to rise quickly in the ranks.

In his mid 20’s, Reza met a beautiful and talented young lady by the name of Fahimeh. He immediately fell in love with this vision of beauty and sophistication. They started to get to know each other better, but back then they always needed a chaperone and a young family member named Guiti would accompany them on their “dates.” Reza and Fahimeh loved American cinema and they both also wanted to learn English. He did not have the means to pay for English lessons, so watching American movies was a way for Reza not only to spend time with the love of his life but to also improve his language skills. The United States and Iran were allies under Shah’s regime at that time and they offered a few top officers, a chance to win a military scholarship for a training program at one of the army bases in the US. Reza wanted to improve his English so that he could be one of the few select young officers to come to the United States and get trained by the best military personnel in the world. Reza was able to win this scholarship and shortly thereafter traveled to the United States. Reza was so in love with Fahimeh that he asked for them to be married by proxy. Fahimeh agreed and made him the happiest man on this earth that day.

The birth of their first daughter Fariba happened early in their marriage. Reza lived with his young family, along with Madar and his mother-in-law, Malak Joon. Soon afterwards another daughter, Bita, was born. Reza supported his little family by working hard and attaining another scholarship to study abroad. During his officer training at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, his third daughter, Gita, was born. Soon after returning to Tehran, their fourth and final girl, Arezoo, was born.

With the love and support of Fahimeh and his young family, Reza strived to excel further in his career. He soon became a full Colonel and gained a military attaché position at Islamabad, Pakistan. The young family moved to Islamabad for the next three years, but Reza loved his country and always wanted to return so after the revolution in 1979, he moved back to Iran. His two eldest daughters, Fariba and Bita were sent to the United States to pursue their higher education. After four years of raising their two younger daughters in Iran and being separated from their two older daughters, Reza and Fahimeh decided to reunite the family and obtained residency in California. The family then decided to remain in the United States permanently.

In 1983, Reza and Fahimeh acquired a photo developing business, ‘60 Minute Photo’, and began to raise their family and adjust to their new life. Reza was a pillar of strength for his young family. His younger daughter Arezoo once tearfully asked him if he was resentful that he is no longer a high-ranking officer, and if the new life was difficult for him. He laughed and said: “Honey, why would I regret anything? I have my wife and daughters with me. I can work and earn enough to support you. Life is like a roller-coaster. One time you are on the top and the next moment you are at the bottom. Never regret anything in life but work resolutely and earn an honest dollar. Once your conscience is clear, you will never regret anything in life.” Indeed, this was Reza’s motto in life.

In 1987, Reza’s oldest daughter, Fariba married, and he gained a son, Kourosh. Reza and Kourosh would regularly play tennis together and were good friends. In 1993, his first grandchild, Mahsha was born. Five years later, their second grandchild, Sara, came into this world. By this time, Reza and Fahimeh retired and were caring for and raising their two young granddaughters. Reza would always go and pick them up from their art class and take them for an ice cream. He was an excellent grandfather and adored his granddaughters. In 1998, his youngest daughter, Arezoo married, and Reza gained another son, Brian. While Brian was in medical school, he had a rotation in Los Angeles. He would sleep in Reza’s house. Reza would wake him up at 3:00 in the morning so that Brian would get on the road before traffic started. He did this tirelessly for three months to ensure that his son would never miss a day working at the hospital.

In 2017, Reza tragically lost his wife of 57 years. At the same time, he was diagnosed with mild to moderate dementia. His daughters were able to take care of him as his disease progressed and he became completely disabled. Reza fought resiliently and survived many falls and setbacks during this time. He wanted to be with his girls to the end and take care of them. Reza’s girls loved him and were able to wish him a safe journey when he took his last breath in the early hours of September 8, 2024. Reza was 93 years old. He left this earth peacefully and joined his amazing wife and soulmate, Fahimeh. In their sadness, Fariba, Bita, Gita, and Arezoo are relieved that their parents are reunited again after 7 years, and that their adventurous and loving dad is no longer limited by the devastating illness that devoured his mind and body during his last years of life.

We celebrate his beautiful life with family and friends.

A life remembered and honored, now and always.

Reza Ghadimi, age 93 passed away on Sunday, September 8, 2024.

A funeral service for Reza was held on Wednesday, September 18, 2024 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Fairhaven Memorial Park Mortuary, 1702 Fairhaven Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92705. Following the funeral service will be a graveside service from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Fairhaven Memorial Park & Mortuary, 1702 Fairhaven Ave, Santa Ana, CA 92705.

Serving as pallbearers are Brian, Kourosh, Abdi, Majid M., Majid S. and Hamid.