'They were just a match': Couple killed in Iran crash remembered as kind, generous
'Sometimes two people become one and Daniel and Faye, they were those people ... two bodies in one spirit'
This is part of a series on the B.C. victims of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, which crashed near Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 8, 2020, killing all 176 people on board.
The family and friends of Daniel and Faye Saket, whose lives were cut short earlier this month when their flight was shot down over Tehran, describe them as a committed and loving couple with a zest for life and adventure.
The couple, who were in their 30s, lived in North Vancouver where Daniel worked for a developer and Faye was an assistant to a cardiologist at St. Paul's Hospital.
What seemed to be a charmed life for the pair — drawn to Canada by its beauty and promise — ended in tragedy. The Sakets were two of the 176 people killed when Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752 was shot from the sky shortly after takeoff from Tehran, Iran's capital, on Jan. 8.
The couple were making their way home from holidays in Iran, where they were visiting family when they were killed.
Abo Tehari, Daniel Saket's uncle, spoke about the couple at a memorial held in North Vancouver on Jan. 11.
"They were just a match, sometimes two people become one and Daniel and Faye, they were those people ... two bodies in one spirit," he said.
Tehari said Daniel, who had a master's degree in mechanical engineering and a PhD in engineering, moved to Montreal from Iran in 2017. A three-day visit to Vancouver convinced him this was the region of Canada where he most wanted to live. He joined his uncle working at Denna Homes and settled into North Vancouver.
"Nothing less than a son to me and my family," said Tehari, adding that Daniel was a kind and often smiling man, willing to help family, friends and neighbours. "He was just one of a kind."
Tehari had one piece of advice for his nephew upon arriving on the West Coast: Marry Faye. "She was so kind … a very good person," he said about her.
So after moving to North Vancouver, Daniel returned to Iran, where Faye, née Kazerani, was still living. A few weeks later, Tehari said an invitation arrived for the couple's wedding, which he attended.
The couple then returned to North Vancouver and settled into life in Canada by exploring the outdoors, particularly around Vancouver and the North Shore. They lived in a building Daniel Saket helped construct.
Creative spirit
Sydnie Nicoll became friends with Faye Saket through her husband's Persian family. They also ended up living in the same building.
"She was extremely smart, she was a professional," she said.
Nicoll said Faye left her country when she was 17 to pursue school and work. It was originally reported that Faye Saket worked as a dental hygienist, but Nicoll said that wasn't true.
She had hoped to get more schooling in Canada and further her career in the medical field. She had no family in Canada, while Daniel had just his uncle, aunt and cousins.
Nicoll said Faye had a creative spirit, posting inspiring poetry on her social media accounts and doing amazing things with makeup for herself and others.
"She was an artist with it," she said. "She played a lot and was a very curious person."
Nicoll also said Faye helped her understand Persian culture and integrate with her in-laws in addition to being kind, a good listener and joyful about life.
"She really lived it … she embodied it and so I think what she leaves behind is living life to the fullest and leaving room for play and enjoyment."
Denna Homes is dedicating a bench to the couple at the Denna Club development on Hunter Street in North Vancouver.