Mehdi Razavi Obituary

Mehdi Razavi

Mehdi Razavi, of Pacific Palisades, California, passed from this life Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023.

Mehdi was a devoted husband of 48 years to Trudy, loving father, and proud grandfather.

Mehdi was born Dec. 16, 1948, to Mustafa and Darachshande Razavi, in Tehran, Iran. He grew up in Tehran, excelled in school, and was accepted into a Naval ROTC program supported by the Iranian Imperial Navy and U.S. Navy. In 1969, he enrolled at The Ohio State University to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering. During his time at OSU, Mehdi met Trudy Bietz of Tiffin, and they quickly fell in love and were married in 1975 in Columbus.

After graduation, they returned to Iran where Mehdi continued his Naval career, serving as a Lieutenant Commander in the Iranian Imperial Navy. Over the next few years, they lived in both Tehran and Bandar Abbas, Iran, welcomed their first two sons into the world, Ramin and Kamran, and began building a life together. In 1979 as the Islamic Revolution laid hold of Iran, Trudy brought their sons to the United States. Mehdi eventually was able to join the family and they reunited in 1980 in Tiffin. Upon moving to Tiffin, Mehdi began a career as a Mechanical Engineer at American Standard that would span 26 years. In addition to work, the Razavi family was growing with Lili and Eli both being born in Tiffin. The family home at 385 Melmore Street was a place of great pride for Mehdi and he devoted countless hours to renovations, home improvement projects, and lovingly created a space for his family to enjoy. On his days off, you could find Mehdi tending his award-winning vegetable garden, building a jungle gym, constructing a basketball court, cutting wood to stoke a bonfire so his family could roast marshmallows, and always standing with a smile at his grill as he flipped steaks, burgers, and kabobs. As his children grew up, Mehdi was a supportive presence in each of their lives, always on the sideline of a sporting event or in the seats in an auditorium with his VHS camera rolling. Mehdi's life was defined by family and he was at his happiest when the table was full, the kabobs were served, and his world famous tahdig rice had come out to golden brown perfection.

In 2008, Mehdi retired from American Standard. He and Trudy spent time in Hawaii briefly before settling in Pacific Palisades, California. In the Palisades, Mehdi and Trudy quickly made friends, enjoyed hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains, walking along the beach, playing in their Bocce Leagues, and spending time with their children and grandchildren. Mehdi was also an avid runner and looked forward to his training runs around the Palisades. He won numerous age group championships at the 5 km, 10 km, and half-marathon distances.

Mehdi is survived by his loving wife, Trudy; three sons; one daughter; two daughters-in-law; and four grandchildren, Ramin and Natalie Razavi and their son Isaiah of Pacific Palisades, Kamran Razavi and his daughter Ariana of Pacific Palisades, Lili Razavi and her sons Dylan and Noah of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Eli and Tamara Razavi of Brooklyn, New York.

The Razavi family would like to thank the Tiffin community for their love and support.