Maryam Ansari Mehran

Maryam Ansari Mehran passed away on October 26, 2021 at the age of ninetynine. Maryam was born in Tehran, Iran on January 6, 1922, the youngest of eight children of Monavar and General Mahmoud Ansari. The Ansari family was one of the most respected families in Iran with General Ansari serving under Ahmad Shah and Reza Kahn who later became Reza Shah Pahlavi. General Ansari also served as Governor of Tehran and Minister of Interior Affairs. Maryam graduated from the American College in Tehran and met her future husband Masud Mehran shortly thereafter. The couple wed and made the bold decision to start a new life in America. With their first child Houri in tow, they drove themselves across Iran and the then larger India to Bombay where they would board the USS Uruguay for the long voyage. Houri fell ill during the drive, succumbed to her illness and was buried in Bombay. Despite this adversity, the couple persevered in their journey facing German U-Boat attacks and terrible seas to land in New York City on December 31, 1943.

Their early life in America was full of new experiences. They lived in New York City for a time, traveling locally with newfound friends and learning English. They moved to Ithaca, New York where Masud attended Cornell and they raised their second child Casey. Cold winters in Ithaca led to further exploration and the young family set off with a house trailer to explore each of the forty-eight states. California was the land of promise, and after months of driving they settled in Montclair just outside of Oakland where they had another daughter Susan and son Alexander.

One of the pillars of Maryam and Masud’s decision to leave their life in Iran was to discover freedom and opportunity, and gain their independence. Finding a business became paramount upon arriving in California. Maryam, a sharp and intelligent woman with a huge entrepreneurial spirit was a partner in everything they did. Within a few years, they had found their calling purchasing housing lots in Livermore, California and building homes. They founded Sunset Development Company in 1951, building over 4,000 homes representing one-third of the City of Livermore, a burgeoning town that would become home to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Under the direction of their son, Alex Mehran, Sr. and, later, grandson Alex Mehran Jr., Sunset went on to develop Bishop Ranch with over ten million feet of office space, thirty thousand daily occupants and a beautiful Renzo Piano-designed retail center in one of America’s largest and most notable real estate developments. Maryam had herself proposed the development of Bishop Ranch in the 1960s, twenty years before it became a reality. Maryam had a wonderful spirit of friendship, and her hospitality was second to none. She gained many friends and touched countless lives with her generosity and kindness which were extended equally to members of high society and to those in need whom she regularly supported through the Food Bank of Contra Costa County. She loved gardening and took immense pride in the care and nurturing of her beautiful garden in Diablo that contained everything from ornate roses to a pumpkin patch for her great grandchildren. Maryam was passionate about design, graduating from the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design in the late 1970s. She started her own business creating custom printed clothing mainly oriented around tennis attire, a sport the entire family pursued. She traveled extensively with friends and was always ready for adventure well into her nineties. Traveling with Maryam was an experience like none other.

Maryam is survived by her son Alex, her granddaughters Diana, Lacey and Annabel, her grandsons Mark, Rawley and Alexander and eleven great grandchildren who were lucky to learn many life lessons from her. Maryam lived a long and full life and will be greatly missed by many.

Keith H. Kerr died on October 24th in Cupertino, CA. He was 90.

He was born in Kentfield, California, raised in the San Joaquin valley and attended schools in Oakdale and Lodi. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 1956 and received a Master’s degree from San Francisco State University in 1967. He had a career as an educator, teaching at Roosevelt Junior High School in Richmond, Alhambra High School in Martinez, and at City College of San Francisco for 26 years. He retired as a Dean of Instruction from SF City College in 1995. General Kerr had a long association with active and reserve components of the Army. He entered the US Army as a private in 1953 at Fort Ord and completed his service in the Army Reserve with a rank of Colonel. He was promoted to Brigadier General with the California National Guard in 1991 and served as Commanding General, Northern Area Command until he retired in July 1995. He was a graduate of the Army War College.

Keith was active in professional and community affairs while a resident of San Francisco from 1969 to 1999 and later moved to Santa Rosa. He was a member of the Association of the US Army, the Yuba River Recreation Group, the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, the Civil Affairs Corps Regiment, and of the order of St. John of Jerusalem