Hamid Bakhtiyari

Beloved community man dies peacefully in his sleep

Hamid Bakhtiyari died at age 61 on Saturday May 9th. We don’t believe he suffered as he was found
peacefully sleeping. We are all broken though - this is a loss, a huge one.

Hamid raised a daughter (Sarah) and son (Cyrus) with his wife of 36 years, Elizabeth. He along with
Elizabeth were dedicated parents and provided for each of their children. Both children obtained
degrees that led to successful starts to promising careers.

Hamid beat the odds coming to Canada from Iran in 1978 to build a successful life. Stunningly gifted,
talented, and bright, he was accepted into Medical School in Tehran but chose to study elsewhere
because of the political climate which closed the Universities in his home country. His brother Majid
financed his first years as a foreign student at York University. Hamid immersed himself in English
courses and learned the language in four months. By fourth year his marks were in the 90s. He got a
98 in Fortran, a difficult computer programming course, and helped 15 other students pass. He went
on to get his MSc and Executive MBA. Professors recognized Hamid’s talent and offered him summer
internships that eventually led to his Canadian Citizenship. Fast forward to a distinguished career
ending as a Chief Privacy Officer at Southlake Hospital. Recently, he founded and was CEO of
Compass Home Healthcare & Wellness Services.

Hamid was passionate about health and just about lived at the local YMCA gym. A lifelong learner,
he was always reading and freely sharing his knowledge with those around him. Positive and upbeat,
he made a lot of people smile. He ran clinics on wellness, where so many people attended and
appreciated his generosity. He became an accomplished athlete, competing for Canada in the World
Master’s Track and Field Championship in Porte Alegre, Brazil, running both the 400- and 800-meter
races. Yes, this is and will be a loss you feel in your gut for all the folks at the Y. You know who you
are. Thank you for allowing Hamid to shine and share his gifts with you. We know he’d be thinking
this - not sure if he’d say it though!

Hamid’s extended family in Canada included Elizabeth’s dad Bernardino Rosa and brother-in-law
Hans Heltke, sister-in-law, Davina Rosa. All three beat him to the pearly gates. He leaves behind his
mother-in-law Natalia Rosa, his sister-in-law, Natalina Heltke and brother-in-law, Eric Rosa. He also
leaves behind a niece, nephew, and one grandniece and nephew.

His family back home in Iran included his mom Khonom Gol and father Hasrat Gholi Bakhtiyari.
They are both with him now… welcome home son. Along with Majid, his two sisters Zahra and Zohra
Bakhtiyari together have 4 daughters and 3 sons.

We ask all the friends and folks touched by Hamid’s generosity of spirit and talent to consider paying
the gesture forward in a way that would be meaningful to him. In lieu of flowers, please use the
following link to donate to the Cardiac Fitness Association: https://www.cfaheart.com/donate.html
Hamid attended the Clinic shortly after his cardiac arrest in 2015. We were fortunate to have him
with us for another 5 years.

We miss you already Hamid; hubby, dad, brother, son-in-law, brother-in-law, dear friend and
colleague. You did well. You can rest now.