Nargesh Aspandiar Sethna

Nargesh Sethna, 93, of Houston, Texas was born in Bombay, India on September 19, 1928 to parents Gulcher and Rustomji Desai. On April 18, 1960, she married her husband of 44 years, the late Aspi Sethna. Nargesh lived in Karachi, Pakistan for 11 years where she moved once she was married. She came to the United States and Houston for the first time in 1971 with her husband and son, Darayus.

Nargesh worked in Bombay writing ration cards after the Second World War, and then worked as an accountant for Tata in Bombay. In the United States, she worked as an accountant for Toyomenka America Inc. for most of her life. Nargesh was raised in a Parsi colony in Bombay and was influential in establishing a thriving Parsi community here in Houston. As a practicing Zoroastrian, she played a major role in bringing the Houston Zoroastrian Community together. She was a founding member of the Zoroastrian Association of Houston and played a key role in the building of the Zoroastrian Association of Houston Center. She spoke several languages including English, Urdu, Marathi, and Gujarati.

Nargesh was preceded in death by her parents, Gulcher and Rustomji Desai; her husband, Aspi Sethna; and her brother Adi Desai. She is survived by her only son, Darayus; her sister Khorshed Desai of Mumbai, India; her sister Dr. Katie Irani of Houston, Texas; her sister Freny Desai of Houston, Texas; and her brother Farokh Desai of Houston, Texas. She is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews as well by a loving friends and supportive community members.

The funeral service for Nargesh will be held at 2:30pm on Friday, June 24, 2022 in the Grand Chapel at Brookside Funeral Home, 13747 Eastex Freeway, Houston, Texas 77039. Following the funeral, family and friends are invited to the Sethna home, 5026 Hazelton Street, Houston, Texas 77035 starting at around 6:00pm the same evening to share memories and condolences.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Zoroastrian Association of Houston by visiting www.zah.org in Nargesh’s honor.