Mom story: when we first moved to Canada, we were in Mississauga where I met some girls in school who lived around our apartment. One of the “cool” girls asked me if I wanted to have a makeup party. I had no idea what this meant but it involved makeup and a party, so I was interested!!! It turned out to be like a Tupperware party. I invited some girls and someone made a presentation about Aloette Makeup. (Who? Exactly) and someone bought a lipstick or two. The deal was I’d get a percentage of the sales but no one was buying so I looked really disappointed. That’s when my mom stepped in and ordered all kinds of stuff. I remember she bought over 150 dollars of makeup which was not only a lot of money then, but a lot for a new immigrant family. She did it because she saw the disappointment in my face. She used all that makeup and it took her years. I remember the gray containers they came in. I can’t remember what free things I got but I do remember knowing in that moment what mom was doing and thinking how sweet the gesture was. Gone 40 days now. I miss your sweetness mama jan. Thank you for all those sweet things you did that you really didn’t have to.

I’ve known Jacqueline and her family for 40 years . We’ve been best friends since we’ve come to Canada in 1980. We’ve also been neighbours living across the street from each other for 9 years, first  in Mississauga then in North York. I’ve always been welcomed in their house like a third daughter. Janet’s whole life revolved  around her daughters and their wellbeing. I am honoured to have been a part of their family and I will never forget her hospitality kindness and beautiful smile .

Rosa Faridani was a lovely and loving woman with a generosity of spirit and a capacity for caring that belied her small stature.

I knew her best through the stories and pictures shared with me by her daughter, Katrin, but I had the opportunity to meet her, at home, during the celebration of Katrin and Shahen’s wedding.

The apartment was a mildly chaotic crush of people dressing, talking, and taking pre-ceremony pictures with a beaming Rosa presiding over it all. Busy birds, everywhere at once, the physical resemblance between mother and bride undeniable and amusing. The two of them talking to everyone and each other, blending English, Farsi, and laughter in equal measure, so much alike.

And the similarities were more than physical. Shortly after arriving, in an effort to be useful, I went to fetch something from the kitchen and there found evidence that Katrin’s love of food and feeding people was something else she inherited from her mother.

As long as I have known Katrin, her refrigerators have astounded me. The first time I opened one, in her apartment in Gwangju, South Korea, I was literally taken aback by the contents. To say it was full is to underestimate both the meaning of the word and the sheer quantity of what was stored inside; a literal wall of produce, meat, condiments and leftovers. I immediately burst out laughing and wondered how one person could have so many things that needed to be kept cold.

In that moment, in an apartment I’d never seen before in the home of woman I’d only just met, I found symmetry and sense of belonging. As I stared at a fridge far too full, even on this festive occasion, I knew I was welcome and wanted in a way that went far beyond greetings and hugs at the door.

Rosa Faradani will be missed by her family, her friends, her community, and by everyone who  encountered the delightful Armenian mama with her smile as wide as the sky and her heart as full of love as her fridge was full of food.

...entering Rosa’s townhome in winter of 1998...

“Jacqueline janem, Olympia welcome! Are you girls hungry ? Let’s go have a cup of tea and something to eat” 

...entering Rosa’s and Robert’s apartment 10 years later...


“Come girls, let’s go have some tea and talk” 

I met Rosa through Jacqueline in the winter of 1998- a welcoming soul always ready to open her heart and receive you- a  light of fire in the cold winters of Ontario- a living presence of hospitality and warmth.

She was my grandma when I no longer had her and my home when I felt alone in Toronto. 

I will always remember you Rosa! 

As a sister in law for 60 years I have lots of memories to share but the one that stands out is the Easters we celebrated together at her home every year.

I remember how she used to prepare traditional Armenian dishes and bake traditional cookies.  I missed those days long before her passing when she could no longer remember me.

Thank you Janet Jan (as you were affectionately known by family and friends) for my lovely nieces and may God bless your soul.

This is a story from our time in Greece while we were waiting for Canadian immigration to process our application. One day I managed to cut my finger badly with a pen knife and I was bleeding so badly and trying to hide it. But then I almost fainted and mom saw it and they called an ambulance. So we went downstairs to wait for it. I was sitting there very pale and this woman asked my mom: endaxi?  (is everything ok?)  And my mom said no we’re waiting for the ambulance and don’t want a taxi 😂😂

Blessed to have been a recipient of her expression 🖤

For my mothers 80th birthday, we had a party at my house. During this party, mom whose memory was already starting to fail her, asked my husband whether he wanted to meet her daughter (meaning me) because she thought he would like me. I thought that was really sweet. She always liked him and this proved it, her trying to fix me up with my own husband. 

OBITUARY

Rosa Faridani

October 13, 1935 – June 12, 2020

Kane-Jerrett Funeral Homes

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