Unrelenting grief for loved ones of North Van couple killed in Iran plane crash
Credit to Author: Nick Eagland| Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2020 01:18:09 +0000
Days after 176 people died in a plane crash in Iran, the pain was still raw for those who gathered to pay respect to a North Vancouver couple.
Mohammad Hossein (Daniel) Saket and Fatemeh (Faye) Kazerani were aboard Flight PS752 that was shot down Wednesday by Iranian forces shortly after takeoff from Tehran airport en route to Toronto.
On Saturday, more than 100 of their loved ones, colleagues and neighbours packed into a common space at a Seylynn Village high-rise condominium that Saket had helped construct and where he had been a familiar, helpful face.
They wept, embraced and spoke softly about Saket and Kazerani, who were described in a memorial service program as a “bright, well-educated couple who enjoyed life and were busy focusing on building a future together in Canada.”
The night before, news had broken that an Iranian military investigation concluded that missiles fired due to human error was to blame for the crash that led to the deaths of 176 people, including 57 Canadians – at least 13 from B.C.
But on Saturday those who had come to grieve Saket and Kazerani were focused on honouring the couple’s memory and comforting one another.
The couple was married on Aug. 25, 2017 and lived in North Vancouver, where they loved to hike trails on local mountains.
Saket, 33, had a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and Kazerani, 32, had a bachelor’s degree in biomedical and medical engineering.
She was working as an administrative assistant for a cardiologist at St. Paul’s Hospital. Saket had spent most of his engineering career working on large international projects, including the metro system in Iran.
“The two were always up for something new,” said the program. “They lived life with a smile on their faces and a positive outlook that motivated those around them to do better.”
Friends and family gather to remember Daniel Saket and Faye Kazerani Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020 in North Vancouver.
Abo Taheri, managing partner at Denna Homes, said he is devastated by the loss of Saket, his nephew.
“But more than a nephew, he’s been a friend,” Taheri said. “He’s a great colleague and more like a son. Nothing less than a son to me and my family.”
Taheri said Saket arrived in Canada in June of 2017, first living in Montreal. Saket then visited Taheri’s family in Vancouver for a few days and decided he would prefer to live on the West Coast, so Taheri found him a job at Denna Homes.
Saket was a brilliant engineer and a “very hard-working, very kind, very helpful” man, Taheri said.
“He was just one of a kind. For the last 40 years, I’ve been in different industries. I’ve never, never had a person, a colleague like Daniel Saket, that has everything in one person. A good nature. A person who would do anything for his friends, families, neighbours.”
Saket was an integral part of the firm and an important member of his local community, Taheri said. Taheri said he adored Kazerani and insisted that Saket propose to her before asking her to come live in North Vancouver.
“Faye, she was such a great, kind person,” he said.
“She was helping with all her friends and (a) very good person. They were just a match. Sometimes, two people become one, and Faye and Daniel were those people.”
Denna Homes is planning to install a memorial for Saket at its Seylynn Village project.
— With files from David Carrigg
CLICK HERE to report a typo.
Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com