Ladan Aram

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Ladan Aram on March 29, 2025 at the age of 80. Ladan’s Muslim birth name was Fatemeh, and so many of her family and friends from childhood affectionally called her “Fati joon”. She was born on a warm summer day in July of 1944 in Tehran, Iran to her dear parents, Hossein Sadeghi and Batoul Givechi. The warmth of the day reflected the warmth of her spirit.

Ladan was the oldest of three children, leaving behind two younger brothers. From an early age, she held a very special relationship with her parents. She regretted not having enough time with her beautiful mother who passed at an early age after a battle with cancer. Ladan was only 16 years old during the onset of her mother’s medical issues. As Ladan’s father lovingly cared for her mother, she worked several jobs to help support the family’s needs as well as to contribute toward the high costs of her mother’s treatment and medications. Her mother’s battle and passing would impact Ladan greatly for the rest of her life. Whenever she was asked what she would want if she could have anything in the world, she would say, “My mother”.

Ladan excelled in financing, language and writing in school. After promoting from high school with a major in natural sciences, she went on do something not many women did back then in Iran - get a college degree and start a career. She studied Education and went on to pursue a career in Teaching. She taught several grade levels, often to under-privileged populations. Instead of an apple, her beloved students would bring a small handful of whatever fruits or nuts they could find at home to show their admiration for their teacher, and she would joyfully thank them for their gifts.

One fateful day, whilst taking a taxi ride to work, she ran into her future father-in-law, who happened to be “looking for a wife” for his son, Cyrus Mohammad Aram. Introductions were made, tea was served, lashes were batted, mustaches were wiggled and one week later, shortly after man first walked on the moon in 1969, the couple was married. Ladan instantly thought Cyrus was very handsome and probably could have had his pick of anyone to marry. He chose her because he was smitten with her beauty and sense of humor and greatly respected the fact that she was an educated and independent woman. She would be a true life partner.

Ladan and Cyrus welcomed their first child, Amir, in September 1970. He was a beautiful and mischievous little boy who was the perfect combination of each of their best attributes. Nearly three years later, the couple welcomed another baby, a daughter they named Rayhaneh. She was the first girl born in the family in several years, and as such, brought much joy to the couple.

With growing tensions in the country, Ladan and Cyrus moved their family to Los Angeles (Glendale), California in 1975. They left behind a very large extended family, their careers, their culture and traditions, and most of their belongings to seek safety and opportunity in the U.S. As a devout Muslim woman raised in a very traditional family, Ladan struggled with removing her headscarf and building a life in a foreign land. In those days, the more you were the “same”, the more chance of success one would have, so the couple agreed to immediately assimilate with the existing cultural landscape. They hit the ground running looking for work, seeking more education and re-education and learning the language. Ladan began learning English by watching television. For years, she would leave a room by saying, “I’ll be right back after these messages”.

Her truly independent spirit drove Ladan to find many different types of jobs over the years, including hairdresser, banker and retail manager. Her family would joke that she never met a job she didn’t like. In addition to working more than one job at a time, she held down the fort at home while her husband, Cyrus, took Engineering positions all over the country and sometimes all over the world. Together, they built a life for their children, brick by brick by overcoming every obstacle thrown at them.

Following the birth of her grandchildren, Kayla, Mia and Jordan, Ladan decided to retire and rediscovered her love of early education by volunteering at their elementary school, Thomas Jefferson Elementary in Burbank, California. During her first day volunteering in his kindergarten class, Jordan introduced her as “Nana” to the class. From that day on, the whole school would call her Nana. She served the students and faculty of Thomas Jefferson Elementary for the next decade, long after her grandchildren left the school. Ladan touched the lives of many students and parents in her work. On any given day, you could see young people of all ages and grades run to her for a hug yelling, “Nana!” One of the proudest moments in her life was receiving an Honorary Service Award for her volunteer work in 2016. She cherished her time with the children as well as the many dear friends she made at the school where she has been indelibly woven into the fabric of the Thomas Jefferson family.

In late February 2025, Ladan was found to have cancer followed by a stroke within a mere month. Her husband, Cyrus, lovingly cared for her day and night, much like Ladan’s father did for her mother. She was fortunate to have two wonderful men in her life that served as beautiful and loving bookends to the girl that lived inside of her. 

We will miss her warm spirit, her booming voice, wicked sense of humor and hearty laugh. What she loved the most in the world were her grandchildren, her husband, her friendships, her plants and garden, flowers in any form (real or otherwise), the color red and the color pink, her dear dog (Peanut) who she sadly lost years ago, Valentine's Day, a good gossip session, her volunteer work and the friends she made with it, the exciting sounds of a slot machine, inside jokes and really good cream puffs. She definitely had a sweet tooth and would prefer to have dessert instead of dinner. She has left an enduring mark on those who knew her. Despite her jovial appearance, she held a lot of fears and worries, often hiding behind her protector (her husband, Cyrus). He did an excellent job keeping her happy and safe over their 60 years together; but, ultimately, could not save her from what we all must face someday...though he gave it a hell of a fight. 

After the loss of her parents, what Ladan wanted and needed most of all in this world is to be continuously seen, valued and loved. Their loss left a massive hole in her that she tried to fill her entire life. We only hope she is once again filled with the love of her parents and God as she transitions to the next realm. We wish for the warm light of healing and peace to touch every part of her soul as we learn to let her go.

Ladan is preceded in death by her parents, Hossein and Batoul.

She is survived by her husband, Cyrus Aram; her children, Jessica Rayhaneh Aram and David Amir Aram; grandchildren Kayla Javed, Jordan Javed and Mia Aram; brothers Massoud and Saeid Sadeghi; nieces Termeh Sadeghi, Tinush Sadeghi, and Helieh Sadeghi; nephews Amir Hossein Sadeghi and Ali Reza Sadeghi; and many, many wonderful cousins, including Morteza Tabatabai.

Services to honor her life and say goodbye will be held at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills.

Visitation will be held Thursday, April 10, 2025 from 5-8pm.

Graveside Service will be held on Friday, April 11, 2025 at 9am.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made in her name to her beloved Thomas Jefferson Elementary School where she volunteered so much of her time and spent some of the best years of her life. Please make donations to "Thomas Jefferson Fundraising Committee", mailed to 1900 North Sixth Street, Burbank, California 91504.