Reza Sarkarati
March 11, 1945 - September 30, 2020
Obituary
Sarkarati, Reza
MADISON - Reza Sarkarati, age 75, of Madison, passed away on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020, at Milestone Senior Living in Stoughton. He was born on March 11, 1945, in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan, the son of Esmaeil and Azizeh Sarkarati.
Reza graduated from UW-Madison. He married Laya Esmaili-Rashid in Tabriz, Iran on March 28, 1986. He worked as an electronic technician for Thermo Fisher, retiring in September 2009. Reza enjoyed many sports, with some of his favorites including soccer, basketball, tennis, and volleyball. He was an avid Badgers and Packers fan. Reza served as a referee for several sports teams throughout the years, including head referee for UW International Games and Middleton High School’s Varsity Soccer team. Reza loved nature and being outdoors. He was known for his green thumb and took great pride in his gardening, especially roses. Reza had a fondness for horses and horseback riding.
Reza is survived by his wife, Laya Esmaili-Rashid; three daughters, Nassim (Nathaniel) Sarkarati, Yassmine (Alec) Sarkarati and Monir (Brett) Sarkarati-Helms; grandson, Brody Helms; cousin, Abdolreza Sarkaratpour; and brother, Abrahim Sarkarati. He was preceded in death his parents.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
Gunderson Fitchburg
Funeral & Cremation Care
2950 Chapel Valley Road
(608) 442-5002
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Memories
DW
Dan Simms, Waunakee
Other •
With great sadness, I began this day reading about the life and death of a long-time friend, who I've missed seeing and visiting with for a few years. Reza was a solid and dedicated WIAA basketball official and I partnered with him for many high school games, mainly from about 1995-2010. He always spoke very fondly of his family and he was a really good guy to have as a friend and officiating partner! R.I.P. buddy . . . You'll be sadly missed.
LM
Ladan Mostaghimi
Other •
Reza was kind and giving. While he was suffering from Parkinson's disease himself, he volunteered to keep company and stay with my Dad who is older and is also suffering from Parkinson's disease for a week. He was one of the most caring people, always there for his family and friends and always volunteering to help. He will be dearly missed.
DM
Dennis Marx
Other •
It was always a joy to referee soccer games with Reza. He had a talent of enforcing the rules of game and always remaining on positive terms with the players. In every sense of the word, he was a gentleman.