Zahir Jamal

Zahir Amir Jamal was born on February 2, 1950 in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.  His parents, Amir Jamal and Zainab Kheraj, both predeceased him, as did his older brother, Azeem.  He is survived by his wife of almost 50 years, Janet; two daughters, Leila and Hanna; two granddaughters, Mina Lou and Sula Joan; his sister Rishma Topan; brother Irshad Jamal; stepmother Shahsultan Jamal; and many nieces and nephews in Canada and the UK.  A precocious and curious child, Zahir excelled at school both in Tanzania and the UK, where he was sent to school at an early age.  He eventually earned a place at Oxford University to study English Literature.  There he met several lifelong friends, as well as his wife, Janet.  After a teaching stint at Nottingham University, he and Janet set off for New York, where he worked briefly as an editor for Newsweek magazine, before embarking on a career at the United Nations, marking the start of a colorful and itinerant adult life.  During his 25 year career, he demonstrated excellence in speechwriting, while at the same time focusing on pressing international development issues, such as flood mitigation measures in Bangladesh, and was instrumental in producing a series of Arab Human Development Reports, which were received to wide acclaim.  His free time was filled with literature, music, movies, and a love of animals (cats and primates in particular).  He was also a technology enthusiast, as evidenced by the numerous tablets, video game consoles, and motorcycles that he accumulated during retirement.  Almost everyone who knew him will remember him as a charismatic orator, an exceptional writer, and a lover of music, as well as a kind and generous friend.  His pride and joy were his two daughters, and later in life, he especially enjoyed spoiling his granddaughter, Mina Lou, with plentiful supplies of snacks.  When he was diagnosed with cancer in the spring of 2023, he faced his treatment with bravery and optimism.  His sudden death while undergoing treatment was a tremendous shock to us all.  While he is irreplaceable and we will miss him dearly, we are grateful that his suffering was not protracted.