Birthdate: 3/13/1943 URS February 9, 2021
born 5/14/1943 (or 3/13/1943) left this earth on 2/09/2021.
Kavoos was born in Kerman, Iran, the oldest of three siblings. He attended military school and was gifted the trip to America to attend college by a loving aunt. He arrived in Portland, Oregon, in 1962 and attended Multnomah State College. Kavoos’s life was extra-ordinary. He opened the first gay bar in Portland, quite by accident, in the 1960’s. In the early 70’s, he stopped to help a young hitchhiker who was looking for a ride to the library. Instead, he offered to bring her to tea at his tea shop, The Divine Gift. These two free spirits would have two children and spend 46 years together. A world traveler, a professional chef, a self-starter, and a creative soul; Kavoos was one of a kind. He could make a swan out of a watermelon, a kite out of dowel rods and old newspaper, and a bookshelf from leftover wood scraps. He traveled the world, but felt the Ozark mountains were his home.
Kavoos was known for his lively spirit, his playful interactions, and his good cooking. He loved music, flower and fruit tree gardening, and Persian poetry. He is survived by his daughter, Zohreh Ravari King, of Salem, Massachusetts; his son, Sohrab Ravari King, of Fort Smith, Arkansas; his granddaughter Suzette King of Woodstock, New York; younger siblings Mahmoud and Behjat and their spouses and children of Kerman, Iran; and many friends and family members from around the world. He follows his wife, Janice (Asha) King Ravari and his parents Isaah and Zahra Aghajani into the heavenly realm.
Please remember Kavoos by living your own life to the fullest with music and dancing as much as you can. Donations to Hospice of the Hills in Harrison, Arkansas in lieu of flowers, please.
“Love is my father and mother, and no one knows Love save my father and mother.”
And so, all who passed spoke of Love as the image of their hopes and frustrations, leaving it a mystery as before.”
? Kahlil Gibran
Beloved Friend and Mentor, thank you for being beautiful in my time. I shall forever prize our many moments together of sobhet, meditation, poetry reading in Farsi, and playful adventuring together. In so many ways, you are my Shams-i-Tabrizi. I look forward, in love and joy, to our reunion one day.
A Poem to honor Kavoos:
Shah Kavoos
Oh, Dearest Friend,
Thank you for being Beautiful
In my time.
The veil between the worlds
Shall not separate us.
We are united in Ishk,
Now and forever.
Shah Kavoos, hear me now.
My heart is warmed
When I remember your smile
And the literal light beaming from your eye.
I rejoice in the memory of you,
Dancing as you proffered Persian poetry aloud.
Shah Kavoos, Shams salutes you.
For the light-filled soul, you are.
Your life lives on
In the love you gave to all
Who shared sacred moments with you.
Shams repeats, “Thank you
For being beautiful in my time.”