AKHTER, PERVIN Pervin Akhter, or Daisy, as she was known to her loved ones, passed away from Alzheimer’s on December 14, 2020. She is survived by her devoted husband of over 40 years, Zafar Khandakar; their four loving daughters Suraiya (Sheikh Haque), Samia (Faisal Miah), Sadia and Sabrina Khandakar; her two bright grandchildren Seyfi and Somona Haque; her seven younger siblings who she helped raise; and her close friends in Canada who became family.
Pervin will be remembered as a vibrant, ambitious and generous person by her family, friends and students. Even in the late stages of her illness, she was able to find laughter in the presence of her family and when asked if she was scared she would fiercely reply no. Through her years long illness she never lost her true spirit; she remained brave and full of love. Pervin was born in Lahore, Pakistan to Saiyad Ali Khan and Shaherun (Mimi) Nessa. She was raised and completed three degrees, including her Masters of Geography in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She started her career and family in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and passed away in the city of Waterloo – just an hour away from Toronto where she shared a home with her husband and daughters for over twenty years. She moved to Canada with her husband, and three daughters while expecting her fourth.
Despite knowing very few people in the country, through grit, and charisma she was able to build her career as a special education, and art teacher in Toronto District School Board – something she was immensely proud of. Being a teacher in Toronto and Riyadh was one of the greatest joys of her life. She would come home from school everyday, with new stories of rambunctious children, and the creative, and artistic activities she came up with to teach them.
When she was moving to Canada her third grade students independently decided to collect their allowances to give her $100 to support her move, and twenty years later she ran into one of those student who had saved a letter she wrote him all those years ago, a testament to her students’ adoration of her. Pervin’s husband and daughters would like to thank her friends, students, colleagues and extended family, who have supported them over the past few years, as well as those who have reached out to share kind words, and cherished anecdotes; it is clear that in her 60 years she left an indelible mark, and she will be remembered by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her.