Assadullah Jafari Babadi
October 8, 1954 — July 26, 2018
I first met my brother-in-law, Assul, when we were in Iran. He was the youngest of the Jafari Babadi brothers. It was 1980 and he went out of his way to try and talk to me in English. He took me to the bazaars in the streets of Ahwaz and I always appreciated his effort to make me feel welcome and at home.
When my children were little, he always used to play a game with them to trick them into letting down their guard, and when they looked away to see what he was pointing at when he asked "What is that?", he would pretend to snatch their noses.
Assul loved to sing. One of my favorite memories of him is when we were driving back to Jacksonville from Atlanta after a huge motivational rally. We both sang at the top of our lungs a terrific song from the 70's by Tammy Gunden. The chorus went like this:
"You can build a wall or you can build a bridge, it all depends on the love you give; if you build a wall, in your world is small, but a bridge of love will conquer all."
And in his life, Assul had great love for his family and his birthplace. He is a descendant of the great Haft Lang clan of the Bakhtiari tribe of which the Babadi's are descended. He took great pride in his heritage and loved to laugh and sing and dance and make jokes.
Along with his love of music, he enjoyed poetry and as one of his poet tribesmen (Hosayn Pejman-E Bakhtiari) wrote in 1989
Agar Iran bejoz viran-sara nist,
man in viran-sara ra dust daram
(Even if Iran is naught but a wasteland, I am in love with this wasteland.)
Assul's summer playground was far from a wasteland as he and his brothers spent their days in the family land in Shar-e-Kord. Apricot trees still line the sides of their mountain home. They are sweet and tender and tastier than any supermarket apricots. I think their roots draw deeply from the native soil and are solidly planted. That's what makes them special, just like my brother-in-law was.
Assul loved making Persian food and you could always count on him to bring special Persian dishes to our family gatherings. It was his way of making people happy. It was an extension of his love and joy, and just like the apricot trees in Shar-e-Kord, he is planted deeply in our hearts. May we always remember the sweetness
When my children were little, he always used to play a game with them to trick them into letting down their guard, and when they looked away to see what he was pointing at when he asked "What is that?", he would pretend to snatch their noses.
Assul loved to sing. One of my favorite memories of him is when we were driving back to Jacksonville from Atlanta after a huge motivational rally. We both sang at the top of our lungs a terrific song from the 70's by Tammy Gunden. The chorus went like this:
"You can build a wall or you can build a bridge, it all depends on the love you give; if you build a wall, in your world is small, but a bridge of love will conquer all."
And in his life, Assul had great love for his family and his birthplace. He is a descendant of the great Haft Lang clan of the Bakhtiari tribe of which the Babadi's are descended. He took great pride in his heritage and loved to laugh and sing and dance and make jokes.
Along with his love of music, he enjoyed poetry and as one of his poet tribesmen (Hosayn Pejman-E Bakhtiari) wrote in 1989
Agar Iran bejoz viran-sara nist,
man in viran-sara ra dust daram
(Even if Iran is naught but a wasteland, I am in love with this wasteland.)
Assul's summer playground was far from a wasteland as he and his brothers spent their days in the family land in Shar-e-Kord. Apricot trees still line the sides of their mountain home. They are sweet and tender and tastier than any supermarket apricots. I think their roots draw deeply from the native soil and are solidly planted. That's what makes them special, just like my brother-in-law was.
Assul loved making Persian food and you could always count on him to bring special Persian dishes to our family gatherings. It was his way of making people happy. It was an extension of his love and joy, and just like the apricot trees in Shar-e-Kord, he is planted deeply in our hearts. May we always remember the sweetness
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Assadullah Jafari Babadi, please visit our flower store.