1939-2026

 

“Do not weep for me, nor say, ‘How tragic! What a loss!’ … I am arriving at eternal love.”

Translated from Rumi’s Ghazal 911 (1273 AD)

 

Dr. Nader Foroud passed away unexpectedly and peacefully, in the morning of April 21, 2026. Born in 1939, in the lush town of Rasht, near the south Caspian Sea in the province of Gilan, Persia, Nader was a vivacious and active boy who relished the outdoors. In his adolescence, he sought work in the famous bazaar, selling cookies and tea to vendors, playing soccer, hiking in the Alborz Rocky Mountains, and keeping doves in his family courtyard. He later raised fancy hens and homing pigeons, having an affinity for birds. Wounded birds often found him; he cared for them while protecting their wild nature, then released them freely.

Nader earned a M.Sc. in Hydraulic Engineering from the University of Karaj. As Head of the Department of Water and Electricity for Iran, he led crucial projects for the Karaj Dam and pioneered drainage systems that transformed arid plains into agricultural belts. He addressed soil salinity and waterlogging – challenges he would later help farmers tackle in China and Egypt.

In 1971, offered scholarships to both Stanford University (California) and McGill University (Montréal), Nader chose McGill. There, he earned a M.Sc. in Agricultural Engineering and Ph.D. in Hydrology. During the era of room-sized mainframes, he coded with punch cards to develop state-of-the-art computer simulations. He spent his career as a Research Scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at the Lethbridge Research Centre innovating irrigation for dryland crops in Alberta and Saskatchewan. His expertise led him to serve as Project Coordinator and Scientific Lead for international and collaborative CIDA-funded projects in Hebei China, and Egypt. Nader had a rare ability to understand water at every level – from massive concrete dams to the microscopic movement of moisture through soil.

Nader’s passion for sports echoed his love of hydrology and the physics of flow. A competitive gymnast and elite soccer player, he once trained with Iran’s national team. In Canada, Lethbridge, he was a fixture in soccer and in the Agriculture & Irrigation Curling League, playing with the “path of the water” in its solid form. As he often told his daughters, “It’s all in the physics!”

Family was everything for Nader. In 1974, he married the love of his life Zahra, who he affectionately called Mina. They were happily married for 51 years, raising 3 daughters together.

Nader was an inspiring storyteller, sharing his love of gardening, raising canaries, and the outdoors together. He taught his daughters to play chess and soccer. Saturdays were usually spent in the backyard together, with intermittent breaks at the picnic table for tailored lessons in math, physics, and Farsi. Many weekends the family ventured away for camping, hiking, cross-country skiing, and sightseeing. Nader was both charming and introverted – a private man with a warm smile and fantastic laugh. He was serious yet playful: he once converted a broken dining chair into a functional sprinkler on wheels – a sight that brought his family laughter and good cheer for years.

At age 12, Nader was not satisfied with his ‘paddling’ swim technique. He jumped off a ridge into the deep lake near his home and swam to the dock. He repeated this task until he worked out the mechanics for front crawl. He continued to swim for years afterwards, refining his stroke and eventually bringing his daughters to local pools for regular swims. Nader taught himself to swim – both literally and figuratively – throughout a multi-faceted life. The strength of his mind and spirit emanated from him until his final moments, when he peacefully closed his eyes for the last time.

Nader is predeceased by his parents, Mirza Agha John & Rhobobeh Foroud, and siblings Torab, Pooran, Nasser, & Mansoor and his wife’s brother Manucher. He leaves behind his sister, Sephoora, and numerous nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and nephews, as well as his wife’s brothers and sisters and their children and grandchildren – all of whom he loved generously.

Nader is deeply missed by his family – Zahra Foroud, his wife and life partner, his loving daughters and sons-in-law, Afra Foroud (Brad Gom), Nora Foroud (Paul Hazendonk), and Rebecca Kostek (Zac Kostek), and grandsons Theo Hazendonk, Nikolas Gom, and Harvie, Takeo, and Jackson Kostek.

Nader, your characteristics and passions live on in your daughters and grandsons. Still, your seat here is empty, and you are forever loved.

Later this summer, a bird will be released back to the wild in your memory.

 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alberta Bird of Prey Foundation at https://burrowingowl.com/.

 

نیامد کس اندر جهان کاو بماند

مگر آن کز او نام نیکو بماند

[No one has come into this world who remains,

Except the one from whom a good name remains.]

• Sa’di, Bustan, Chapter I, Section 10 (1257 AD)

 

“It began with a simple rain drop… remember that drop, inconsequential though it may be compared with the magnitude of the universe. Inside its miniature orb, it holds the secret of infinity, a story uniquely its own.”

• Elif Shafak, There Are Rivers in the Sky (2024)

 

The Foroud family thanks everyone for their condolences, cherished memories, and kind messages.

 

To send a condolence, please visit www.cornerstonefuneralhome.com

• Date : 2026-04-21
• Location : Alberta