The Washington Post - USA (2020-10-20)

B6 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20 , 2020

obituaries

CORRECTION

l The Oct. 19 obituary for former

White House social secretary

Bess Abell misspelled the capital

of Kentucky. It is Frankfort, not

Frankfurt.

2009 PHOTO BY ALI SHAIGAN/FARS NEWS AGENCY/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Mohammad Reza Shajarian was banned from performing in Iran after speaking out against the
government he had long supported, siding with protesters who challenged Iran’s president in 2009.

humanity will get through to your

heart, too.”

When Ahmadinejad labeled

the protesters “dust and trash,”

Mr. Shajarian responded by tell-

ing the BBC: “I am the voice of

dust and trash, and [my voice]

will always belong to dust and

trash.” The regime banned him

from performing in Iran, and Mr.

Shajarian, in turn, insisted that

state media stop broadcasting his

music.

His most famous song was

“Morghe Sahar” (“Bird of Dawn”),

an allegorical ballad about a bird

that sings to end the darkness of

the night and herald a day of

liberation. Based on an old Per-

sian poem, the song became his

trademark encore at concerts

abroad, inevitably bringing audi-

ences to tears.

Mr. Shajarian was also known

for singing “Rabbana,” a prayer

song that compiled verses from

the Koran. State broadcasters

played the song during the holy

month of Ramadan for some 30

years, until he fell afoul of the

regime. “Ramadan without Ra-

bana is like Christmas without

Christmas carol,” one Iranian told

the Guardian in a 2013 message

on Facebook. “I don’t observe

fasting but yet every Ramadan I

listened out for it.”

The oldest of five children,

Mr. Shajarian was born Sept. 23,

1940, in the northeastern city of

Mashhad. His father was a qari, a

respected reciter of the Koran,

and the younger Shajarian start-

ed singing verses of the Islamic

holy book when he was 5. By age

12, he was studying the radif, the

traditional repertoire of Iranian

music.

Mr. Shajarian received two

awards from UNESCO for his

music, and he was named a che-

valier of France’s Legion of Hon-

or. After the Iranian city of Bam

was ravaged by an earthquake in

2003, killing more than 26,000,

he organized a benefit concert for

survivors and families of the vic-

tims.

His marriage to Farkhondeh

Golafshan, with whom he had

four children, ended in divorce.

He later married Katayoun Khan-

sari, with whom he had a son.

Complete information on survi-

vors was not immediately avail-

able.

Mr. Shajarian’s s on Homayoun,

a fellow classical singer who often

joined him onstage, announced

the death on Instagram but did

not give a cause. Mr. Shajarian

had battled kidney cancer for

almost 20 years, and Iranian state

television cited the disease in its

news bulletins, while broadcast-

ing images of the singer for the

first time in 11 years.

“My music has always been

entirely connected to what hap-

pens in Iran,” he told German

writer and Persia expert Marian

Brehmer in 2011. “The poems I

choose to perform reflect our

social history. My songs speak of

people’s l ives. I get my i nspiration

from the people. I need to be

among them. Or else I wouldn’t

be able to sing.”

“I think of people’s longings,”

he added. “Humanity should rule

the world, not religion, national-

ism or ideology. Humanity is the

aim of all arts.”

[email protected]

BY PHIL DAVISON

To Iranians at home and
abroad, the death of the country’s
most revered classical music
singer, Mohammad Reza Shajari-
an, reverberated like the death of
a rock or pop star in the West.
After learning that he died Oct. 8
at age 80 at a hospital in Tehran,
tens of thousands took to the
streets of Iran’s capital to weep,
mourn, and sing his songs of love
and peace.
Angered that his music had
been banned by the country’s
Islamic regime, they also chanted
anti-government slogans, includ-
ing “death to the dictator,” a r efer-
ence to Iranian S upreme Leader
Ali Khamenei and President Has-
san Rouhani. Security forces ar-
rived on motorcycles, swinging
batons at crowds until they dis-
persed.
“The grateful Iranian nation
will always keep the name, mem-
ory and work of this popular
artist alive in its memory,” Rou-
hani said on Twitter.
Mr. Shajarian was known as an
ostad, or master, of traditional
Persian music backed by string
and percussion instruments,
many of which he designed him-
self. He s tarted singing during the
reign of the last U.S.-backed shah,
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, before
supporting the 197 9 Islamic revo-
lution that installed Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini.
While Khomeini banned “im-
perialist” Western music and in-
struments, Mr. Shajarian’s tradi-
tional songs — and soaring, qua-
vering tenor — reached a wide
audience. He became known as
“the voice of Iran,” and in 2009,
the Los Angeles Times called him
“Iran’s greatest living master of
traditional Persian music.”
Mr. Shajarian typically used
subtle metaphors and poetic alle-
gories in his verses, and he rarely
ventured into politics. But in
2009, he surprised many of his
fans by speaking out against the
government he had long support-
ed, siding with demonstrators
who challenged election results
that led to ultraconservative Pres-
ident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s
second term.
As security forces wielded ba-
tons and tear gas against protest-
ers, Mr. Shajarian turned a work
of Persian poetry into an anthem
of resistance, singing “Language
of Fire and Iron” by Fereydoon
Moshiri.
“Lay down your gun,” he plead-
ed, “as I hate this very abnormal
shedding of blood. The gun in
your hand speaks the language of
fire and iron.... Come, sit down,
talk, hear. Perhaps the light of

MOHAMMAD REZA SHAJARIAN, 80

Classical singer was a revered

master of traditional Persian music

KAMRAN JEBREILI/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Mohammad Reza Shajarian, p erforming with Mojgan Shajarian,

left, and Majid Derakhshani in 2011, started singing during the

reign of the last shah; he supported the 1979 Islamic revolution.

IN MEMORIAM

DWIGHTRANDOLPHBOWMAN

10/20/1943~1/16/2013

Iamalone,but Iamnot lonely.

Youarestillinmyheartandmydreams.

HappyBirthdayDwight!

YourWifeforLife,Love,Gwen

BOWMAN

When the

need arises,

letfamilies

find youinthe

Funeral Services

Directory.

To be seen in the

Funeral Services

Directory,please call

paid DeathNotices

at 202-334-4122.

DEATH NOTICE

attractingarecordnumberof newcomers

locallyand regionally,Edith wenton to create

and directhugenationalNoviceProgramsfor

the NorthAmericanBridgeChampionships

1984-1991,andwasrehiredto be ACBL/s

Easybridge!™ Coordinator.Edith’sEasy-

bridge!™Program evolvedfromher seriesof

booksincludingthe popularACBLpublication

of "AdventuresIn DuplicateBridge"-"The

ConventionCard","Easybridge!™The Comic

Book"-"Easybridge!™2(TenLessonsYou

ShouldKnow)"–and Easybridge!™3(The

DuplicateCondition)".She wasalsoco-pub-

lisherwithMikeLawrenceof the monthly

bridgemagazine,"The Champion'sNewslet-

ter (0-300MP)".Edith'sEasybridge!™books

havesoldmorethan250,000copies,are still

popularand are still beingusedto introduce

newplayersto the gametoday,some 20

yearsafterher retirementfrombridge.

As EdithwasdevelopingEasybridge!™,she

rekindledherloveof painting.Aftershe

retiredin the early2000's,her husbandPaul

helpedto createabeautifulart studiofor her

whereshe spentmanyjoyfulhourscreating

trulyinspiredworks.Edith alwayssoughtself-

improvementand waysto improvethe lives

of others.She wasan avidreaderand music

loverwhoplayedbothpianoandguitar,

did dailycrosswordpuzzles,solvedmanya

murdermystery,and valuededucationand

the arts.

EdithMcMullin’stalentsand “charm”made

her the toastof all whoknewher.She will be

sorelymissedby her husbandPaul, and many

friendsandfamily,includingherchildren

Noah(Karen)Sack,Charity(Paul Randall)

Sack,Mary(Ed Wasmund)Sack,AlexSack,

her grandchildrenCelesteStout,Timothy“TJ”

Stout,Jacob Sack,NathanSack,Leo Sackand

MiloSack.

Shewasprecededin deathby her parents,

her olderbrotherGeorgeTitterton,her older

sisterEileenTittertonCarberyandher first

husband,MartinSack.

In lieu of flowers,pleasemakecontributions

to ChildrenInternational,In Memoryof Edith

McMullin,PO Box219055,KansasCity,MO

64121; 1-800-888-3089; http://www.chil-

dren.org[children.org]

Pleaseviewservicedetailsandsignthe

family’sonlineguestbookat:

http://www.COLLINSFUNERALHOME.com

EDITHANNTITTERTON SACK

McMULLIN(1933-2020)

EdithAnnTitterton Sack

McMullin (1933-2020) –

published author,artist,

educator,wife,mother,

grandmother,sister,god-

mother,aunt, and mentor–

passedawaypeacefullyat

her homein SilverSpring,

MD on October13, 2020.

Edithwas bornto GeorgeF. Tittertonand Ada

RyanTittertonin NewYork City in 1933before

the familyrelocatedto Farmingdale,NY. The

thirdof sevenchildrenin a“Grumman”

family,she marriedher first husband,Martin

Sack,in 1959andhadfourchildren.While

homeraisingherchildren,shecreateda

communitynewsletterfor the FoxHills

NeighborhoodAssociation,discoveredpaint-

ing,andstartedplayingbridgewithlocal

rubberbridgeorganizations.Edithroseto

becomean iconof the contract bridgeworld

drivenby her passionfor the gameand her

giftsas ateacher,player,club owner,director,

authorand more.Duringthattime,Edith met

Dr.Paul R. McMullin.Theymarriedin 1985

and enjoyednearly35 yearsof marriage.

She transformedhowfolkswereintroduced

to thegameof bridgewithlivelyevents

that combinedhumor,socialconnection,and

simplifyingthe technicalaspectsof the com-

plexgame.Recognizedby theACBLfor

McMULLIN

ANNOUNCEMENT

REMEMBER

YOUR LOVED ONES

December13, 2020

TheWashingtonPostMagazinewillpublish

an AnnualCommemorativeSection.

Planto be apartofthisannualtradition!

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$11.10per Line

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DEADLINE

5p.m.

Friday,November13, 2020

Formoreinformation,please call:

202-334- 4122 or 1-800-627-1150,ext. 4-4122

E-mail:

[email protected]

IN MEMORIAM

SHARONDACACHO LITTMAN

October20, 2017

2Loved

2Be

4Gotten

LoveyourMother

Gwen(Edwina)Hete-Littman,

YourBrotherTyandFamily

HappyBirthdayAl

LITTMAN

DEATHNOTICE

JOHNCORNELIUSCOX

JohnCorneliusCox,83,ofFairfax

Station,VA,passedawayat home

surrounded by his family,onOcto-

ber 17, 2020fromcomplications

of Alzheimer’sdisease.

Johnwasbornin Alexandria,VA on Feb-

ruary11, 1937.He graduatedfromGeorge

WashingtonHighSchoolandcontinuedto

receiveabachelor’sdegreefromAmerican

University.

JohnwasmarriedtoSusanJeanO’Driscollon

April25, 1959,the loveof his life.They were

marriedfor 61 years.

Johnjoinedthe Alexandria Policedepartment

wherehe distinguishedhimselfas amarks-

man,winningmanylocal,regional,and nation-

al matches,toincludereceivingthe distinction

of the 1st everPoliceDistinguishedExpert

fromthe NRA.He thenbecameaSpecialAgent

withthe Federal Bureauof Investigationwhere

he heldvariouspositions duringhis 25 year

career,fromFirearmsInstructorat the FBI

AcademytoSupervisorySpecialAgentin the

CounterTerrorismUnit @FBI Headquarters.

JohnissurvivedbyhiswifeSusan;hischildren,

JohnDanielCox(Debra), MichaelFrankCox

(Lisa),andCornelia CoxMusser(Richard);

grandchildren,James,Jason,Bryan,Tyler,John,

Perry,CrystalandMark;stepgrandchildren,

Joshua,Brian,Amy,Jaclyn,Meghan,Caraline,

and Emma.Last,but not least,24 greatgrand-

children.Heisprecededin deathby his parents

JohnCorneliusCox,ElsieFearsonCox,and his

lovingsisterMarionGenevieveGibson.

The funeral servicewill be heldon Wednesday,

October21, 2020at 1p.m. at FairfaxMemorial

GardensCemetery 9902 BraddockRd, Fairfax,

VA.Agravesideservicewill be heldto allow

for properCovidsafetyfor all attendees.The

processionalwillbeginat thesideof the

building.

In lieu of flowersplease donateto the

Alzheimer Associationand/orthe Law Enforce-

mentagencyof yourchoosing.

COX

ANNOUNCEMENT

DEATH NOTICE

ElizabethC.Hurley

ElizabethC. Hurley"Liz",97, of Annapolis,MD

passedawayon Saturday,October17, 2020.

Liz was bornon August21, 1923in Washington,

DC to the late Paul and HelenCramerand was

agraduateof WilsonHighSchool.She spent 18

yearsworkingforIBMintheFederalSystems

Divisionlocatedin Gaithersburg,MDas an

ExecutiveSecretary.She wasamemberof

CalvaryUnitedMethodistChurchinAnnapolis

wholovedgolf,and spendingtimewithher

grandandgreat-grandchildren.Inadditionto

her parentsshe wasprecededin deathby her

husbandof 62 years,RonaldHurleyandason,

Ronnie.She is survivedby her sons,Michael

ofBethanyBeach,DEandJohnofLahaina,

HI; grandchildren, Jenniferand Patrick;great-

grandchild,Joshua. Friendsandfamilyare

invitedto celebrate Liz'slife on Wednesday,

October21 from1to3and 6to8pmat

the KalasFuneral Home&Crematory,2973

SolomonsIslandRd.,Edgewater, MDwhere

her funeral servicewill be heldon Thursdayat

1p.m. Intermentprivate.Online condolence

maybe madeat:

KalasFuneralHomes.com

HURLEY

When the

needarises,

letfamilies

find youinthe

Funeral Services

Directory.

To be seen in the

FuneralServices

Directory,please call

paid DeathNotices

at 202-334-4122.

DEATH NOTICE

JANICE L.JORDAN

Enteredinto eternalrest on Tuesday,Octo-

ber 13, 2020.She is survivedby her son,

AaronMarshall; daughter,NicoleJordan;

twosisters,JacklynLottandDeborah

Staton;brother,ThomasStaton,Jr.and a

hostof otherrelativesand friends.Funeral

and burialservicesare private.

JORDAN

LAWRENCEE.LEARY

The members of the RetiredFire-

fightersAssociationof Washing-

ton,DC.regretto announcethe

passingof life memberLawrence

E. Learyon October16, 2020.

BrotherLearywasappointed on

March15, 1950to Truck7and retiredon

October1, 1977 as 2ndBFC.

LEARY

STEPHENJOSEPHMEYER"Mugs"

Bornon March2, 1960,passedawayat home

on October9, 2020afterabrave battlewith

cancer.Stevewasbornin Fairfax,VA,tothe

late VirgilOttoMeyerand SallyAnn Meyer.

Stevewasalifelongbachelorwithawealth

of friends.Heispredeceasedby his brother,

William“Billy”Meyer.Heissurvivedby his

brother,Kent (Anne)and threenephews,Ben-

jamin,Joseph,andZacharyandoneniece,

Catherine.

Stevewasraisedin FairfaxandChantillyin

FairfaxCounty,VA. He graduatedfromChan-

tillyHighschoolin 1978.He joinedthe old

Navy-Vale Fire Departmentin 1977,wherehe

servedas avolunteer firefighteruntil1980.

Stevejoinedthe FairfaxCountyFire and Res-

cueDepartment (FCFRD)as afirefighterin

1980 andremaineduntilhis retirementin

2011.He wasknownand belovedthroughout

FCFRDas “Mugs”.He workedat manyFCFRD

fire stationsin FairfaxCountybut the majority

of his careerwas spentat BurkeStation14.

AmemorialMasswill be heldat St. Timothy

CatholicChurchinChantilly,VA, on October22,

2020 at 9:30a.m.withinterment immediately

followingat FairfaxMemorialPark, Fairfax,

VA.Inmemoryof Steve’slifelongpassionas

agardenerandin lieuof flowers,memorial

contributionscan be madeto the National

ForestFoundationat https://www.nationalfor-

est.org

MEYER

ANNEMARIEMOOD

AnneMarieMood,aresidentof Montgomery

Village,MDfor 46 years,passedawayat

AsburyMethodistVillagein Gaithersburg,MD

on October16, 2020.Bornin Washington,DC

on August2, 1937,she wasthe daughterof

the late EstherM. (Dakin)Quaidand DanielLeo

Quaid,Sr. Survived by her lovinghusbandof

52 years,MarvinC. Mood,anieceEvelynM.

Reiman(Alan)ofCary,NCand anephew,Paul

A. Thomas(Betty)of Tucson,AZ. Predeceased

by her sisterMaryFrancesQuaid,withwhom

she playedcountlessgamesof Scrabble,and

brothersDanielLeo Quaid,Jr.(Erika),Donald

DakinQuaid,andPhilipA. Thomas(Eleanor).

Attended NativityCatholic Schoolin Washing-

ton, DC,and wasamemberof the NotreDame

AcademyClassof 1955.Workedbrieflyfor the

Lawyer's TitleInsuranceCorporationbefore

beginningasecretarialcareerat the Depart-

mentof Commerce withthe Bureauof Public

Roads.Retiredin 1981afterhavingservedas

the executivesecretaryfor the Department

of CommerceBudgetDirector,the Assistant

Secretary for EconomicDevelopment, and the

Assistant Secretaryfor Administration.Anne

Mariewasalovingwife,daughter,sister,and

aunt.Shewill be fondlyrememberedby her

manyfriendsespeciallySylviaMushinskyBlock

and GloriaHeyman.AnneMariewas awitness

for her Christianfaitheachdayof her life

throughher kindnesstoall.

Familyand friendsare invitedtoavisitationon

WednesdayOctober21, at ThibadeauMortuary

Service,124 EastDiamondAvenue,Gaithers-

burg,MD from1to3p.m. Agravesideservice

will be heldon October23, at SiloamCemetery,

Vineland,NJ at 1p.m. In lieu of flowers,memo-

rial contributionsmaybe madeto Montgomery

Hospiceat montgomeryhospice.orgor the

Central BaptistChurchof Millville/Vineland, 9

NorthSecondStreet,Millville,NJ08332.

MOOD