Obituary of Nazire Seker

Nazire Seker (née Karabag)

Nazire Seker, age 90, passed away peacefully on July 22, 2024, in Bridgewater, New Jersey. She was a woman of remarkable strength, resilience, and unwavering love for her family. Her life was a testament to adaptability and courage, having lived in five countries and endured two tumultuous wartime evacuations before finally laying roots in the United States.

Born on March 9, 1934, in Kars, Turkey, to Hussein and Ziver Karabag, Nazire’s early life was marked by the upheavals of World War II. Her family fled from western Turkey to Tehran, Iran, where they settled and established roots. In Iran, Nazire led a gilded life, even having the honor of dancing at a masquerade ball with the Shah of Iran. Her life took a romantic turn in 1958 when she met and married her dashing husband of 39 years, Murat.

After the birth of their first child, Can, the family moved to Beirut, Lebanon, known at that time as the Paris of the Middle East. It was there that her two younger sons, Tan and Erol, were born. The 15 years spent in Beirut were among her happiest. However, the civil war in 1975 forced the family to evacuate under machine gun guard, leaving behind friends, loved ones, and all their material possessions. Nazire would later proclaim, “We may have lost all of our belongings, but as long as we have each other, we will be okay.” From Beirut, the family moved to Paris for one year, then London for another. With each move, Nazire worked tirelessly to build a safe home for her family. Finally, in 1977, the family settled in the United States, where one of Nazire’s proudest accomplishments was becoming a U.S. citizen. Although she immigrated to the United States in her forties, she was deeply patriotic and grateful for the security America provided her family. She often proclaimed, “God bless America!” whenever a fortunate event touched a family member’s life.

Nazire will be remembered as the family matriarch for her strength, resilience, and especially her aphorisms, which she expressed in any one of her five fluent languages. Nazire was well-known for her warm qualities and playful sense of humor. She always made the people around her feel welcome and special, and because of this, developed long-lasting friendships everywhere she went. Visitors to the Seker household never forgot her hospitality and specialty dishes. Nazire’s love for her family was boundless. Her legacy will live on in the hearts of those who knew and loved her. She will be deeply missed and forever loved by her sons: Can, Tan, and Erol, her daughters-in-law: Caroline, Denise, and Kristen, her grandchildren: Samantha (Matthew), Clayton (Justina), Abigail (Brian), Cameron, Lily, Olivia, and Evan, and her great grandchildren: Charles and Indigo.

A funeral service will be held at her burial on July 26, 2024, at 11:30 a.m. at Laurel Grove Cemetery in Totowa, New Jersey. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Save the Children.