In Memoriam
Lady Homayoun Renwick
1939 – 2023
Lady Homayoun Renwick, a dear friend, long-time supporter and one of our first Trustees (1992-93) passed away on 5th July in London.
Lady Homayoun was born into a military family on 11th July 1939 in Tehran, Iran. Her father was Major Mahmoud Yazdanparast Pakzad. In 1960 she married Yussef (Joe) Mazandi, the founder and publisher of the Iran Tribune, with whom she had two children. She moved to London in 1972 and she and Joe were subsequently divorced. Her second marriage was to Harry Andrew Renwick, the 2nd Baron Renwick in 1989.
A philanthropist and staunch promotor of Iran’s cultural heritage, Lady Homayoun established the “Friends of Persian Art and Culture” at Cambridge University in 1992, supporting publication of several books on Iran, including Safavid Persia, a Pembroke College, Cambridge University collection of papers edited by Professor Charles Melville, dedicated to her. She further initiated celebration of the Norouz tradition in the UK, the first of which was organised under the auspices of her Cambridge establishment, providing the seed for the institution of the Norouz Gala at the Iran Heritage Foundation, which has become one of the highlights of the London social calendar.
A community leader and an inveterate networker, her contacts stretched to the highest echelons of English society and politics. Generous, down to earth and self-effacing with a great sense of humour, she will be deeply missed by all who knew her and the community which she served so loyally.
She is survived by her son, Shahriar Mazandi, and her daughter, Yassi Mazandi Castilla.
