Farideh Assef

Farideh Mahdjoubian Assef, 85, passed away peacefully surrounded by the love of her family on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Green Bay, WI.
Farideh was born on Sept 9, 1938, in Tehran, Iran to Farkhondeh Mostofi and Abbas Mahdjoubian. She was raised in Tehran, where she attended Jan Darc School. On March 17, 1954, she married Mostafa Assef, an officer in the Iranian Armed Forces, and they had two sons, Saied (Miriam) now of Green Bay and Ali, now of Naples, FL. As a young military family, the Assefs lived in the Iranian cities of Tehran and Isfahan, spent a year in Leavenworth, Kansas, and later lived in Kabul, Afghanistan. Farideh ran a vibrant, active household wherever they lived, and was always adapting to new surroundings, cultures and languages. She was fearless in her determination to connect, to communicate with those she met along the way, and to make the best of each new home the family shared. While she dearly loved her country, she and Mostafa later joined their sons in the US, immigrating in 1981 and becoming proud citizens in 1988. During the years that followed they lived in Mankato, MN, Rochester, MN and Green Bay, WI. Farideh worked in sales at Daytons, later known as Macy's, helping many a shopper to find just the right handbag or accessory for their wardrobe. She enjoyed her work and always looked forward to being around people.
Mostafa passed away in 2013 after 59 years of marriage and was deeply beloved in Farideh's memory.
Despite loss and hardship, Farideh lived a life of passion, endurance and courage. Her cooking was legendary and she took great pride in mentoring younger generations in the art of Iranian and Persian Cuisine and the beauty and mystery of her culture. At the same time, she was a big fan of McDonald's and Dairy Queen. She was a curious and inquisitive life-long learner, having travelled a great deal throughout her life. She loved storytelling and had a laugh that lit up many rooms. She was always dressed to the nines, loved shopping and fashion and jewelry and style. In her later life she became an avid speed dialer and Face-Timer, and enjoyed many close and enduring friendships with friends both near and far, right up to the very last weeks of her life.
Family was everything to Farideh. She adored her sons, her grandchildren and great grandchildren, and the extended family of cousins and honorary family members that came to love her through the years. In addition to her sons, she is survived by a sister, Shahra, a brother Hossein, 6 grandchildren: Jennifer Farideh, Benjamin Afsheen Mostafa, Katherine Shireen, Maija Sholeh, Maren Shawdi and Kai Shaheen, and 3 great grandchildren: Nora, Sam and Evelyn. They will miss her dearly and cherish her memory.
The family would like to express their deepest gratitude to Mayo Clinic, Bellin Health, Rennes Rehab and Unity Hospice for their extraordinary care and support, with special thanks to Dr. Cynthia Lasecki for a lifetime of dedicated care, and Dr. Hassan Tahsildar for ongoing oncological care.
Friends may visit on Sunday, July 28th, from noon until 2pm at Ryan Funeral Home, 305 North 10th Street, De Pere, WI, with a service held at 2pm. Burial will be Monday July 29th at 10am at Woodlawn Cemetery in Allouez.
Memorials are suggested to COMSA/ Green Bay, serving immigrants and refugees in the greater Green Bay area, or to Literacy Green Bay.