Madjid Harirchi's Obituary
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Madjid Harirchi on September 9th, 2022 in Ontario, California. He was the son of the late Gholamali Harirchi and Sona Ghapani, and the father of Yasi Dye and Marali Harirchi.
Madjid lived up to the meaning of his name in every noble, glorious, and magnificent way. He was born to Gholamali Harirchi and Sona Ghapani in Tabriz, Iran on March 27th, 1949 as the eldest of 7 children. He always had an affinity for birds as a young boy, and fondly remembers being surrounded by the neighborhood pigeons on the rooftops of his hometown. He was an avid soccer player as a youth, and was already on the path to becoming a professor of mathematics during that time. After the sudden death of his father, he took his place as the man of the house, worked odd jobs to support his family, and managed the home alongside his mother. He immigrated to the United States in his mid-twenties, and continued working odd jobs, such as driving an ice cream truck, while pursuing his education at Cal State Fullerton in Fullerton, California. He set the bar high for himself when he obtained three master’s degrees in various avenues of math and was on his way to obtaining his PhD from Cal State Long Beach when the Iranian Revolution overtook his beloved home country.
Madjid became a proud father for the first time in 1991 to Yasamin, and again in 1996 to Maral. He loved fatherhood and ensured that his family was always provided for. He loved taking his family on day trips to the mountain town of Big Bear to be surrounded by nature and its cozy atmosphere. He instilled the same pride for his Iranian and Turkish heritage in his girls, and loved taking the family to Downtown Los Angeles, namely Westwood, to dine on exquisite Persian cuisine and to browse Persian rug and record shops. He particularly loved to take his family shopping at California Mart, a wholesale haute couture distributor in Downtown Los Angeles, each year around Christmas time. Of course, the family couldn’t leave without grabbing a meal at Shamshiri Grill in Westwood or Raffi’s Place in Glendale, and topping it off with a pistachio ice cream for dessert.
He proudly became an American citizen in 1997, which was a goal that kept him going ever since he arrived in the United States as a young man. He was a talented cook and loved recreating traditional dishes with his own flair. He adored his homing pigeons, and tenderly cared for them for most of his adult life along with German Shepherds and a variety of other animals. He was a brilliant mathematician, and taught calculus, regular and linear algebra, differential equations, and statistics. He touched the minds of numerous students for 40 years at Cal Poly Pomona, Mt. San Antonio College, East Los Angeles College, Citrus College, and Pasadena City College. He had a great appreciation for music from his homeland of Iran, as well as Turkish ballads and even some American country artists. He was a cinephile, and his absolute favorite movie of all time was “Doctor Zhivago.” He had a personality that was larger than life. He was tough and proud in many ways but could be quiet and gentle at the same time. He would tell nearly anyone who would listen about his culture and its rich history. He especially loved recounting fond memories of his upbringing in Tabriz with such joviality and affection. He was especially proud of his children, and they will carry his memory forever in their hearts.
Madjid is preceded in death by his parents Gholamali and Sona, and sister Firouzeh Harirchi. He is survived by his daughters Yasamin Elena Dye (Jacob) and Maral Natalie Harirchi (Alex); grandson Theodore Alexander Dye; brothers Javad Harirchi (Veronica) and Hadi Harirchi (Nahid); sisters Nasrin Harirchi (Mohamed), Monir Harirchi (Mohamad), and Afsaneh Harirchi (Hosein)i; and a host of extended family and beloved friends.
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