Memorial Fund for Montecito Excellent Alterations

Hi, my name is Farah Akramy and have set up this GoFundMe in memory of my father, Kabir Akramy, owner of Montecito Excellent Alterations & Tailoring, who suddenly passed away on March 2, 2023 from Stage IV cholangiocarcinoma (biliary cancer) to share his story.

Kabir was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan but immigrated to America with his brothers and friends 1983, settling in San Rafael, Marin County, California. When he got married in 1990, he opened his own tailoring shop, a mile away from his home, to create a stable business and income with his professional tailoring skills to provide for his new and growing family.

He built the shop with the help of his friend and brother, worked by himself, and gained the trust and business of clients from all over the Bay Area because of not only his character but his excellent craft, skill, and precision in tailoring. He never had a website, advertisements, or had a fancy shop, but gained all his clients by proving his talent in altering garments and creating custom made pieces. Our dad had the same little shop for the past 32 years and has been a member of the San Rafael community for 40 years.

In 2002, he moved to Antioch but kept his business in San Rafael. He would commute over 1 hr one way and attend to his shop by himself, 6 days a week, barely taking time off, to make sure his family lived a comfortable life. This had been his routine for the past 20 years.

Even though Kabir was always in the shop he made time for his hobbies and to be with his family. Aside from being a skilled tailor, he loved to garden and landscape on Sundays (his day off). If you've visited our house, he built the entire front and backyard, and planted all the trees/flowers.

He would spend his days off taking us on picnics, to the beach, the city, amusement parks, the mall, anywhere to get us out the house. After coming home form work he would play his harmonia everyday and scroll on TikTok. He would read & write poetry scribbling them on scraps of paper or posting them on his facebook. He listened to Ahmad Zahir, classic Afghan songs and old Bollywood songs. He loved to dress up, wear the best clothing and cologne, sing and dance, talk about politics, and take lots of photos with his family. He loved being in nature, going on picnics, and traveling internationally. He had visited New York, Chicago, India, Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, Turkey, Canada, Hawaii, Dubai, and so much more.

He also loved being in nature where there was fresh flowing water and lots of beautiful trees. So to honor him, My sisters and I are organizing to build a water well in Afghanistan and to plant new trees in Sub-Saharan countries in his name and memory for a community in need. Click Here if you'd like to contribute to this project.

He prayed 5x a day, taught me, my sisters, and cousins how to pray, the importance of charity, and to be compassionate not only to humans but to plants and animals as well. He was the pillar of our family and a light to all who knew him. When I would introduce myself as Kabir’s daughter, I was always returned with a smile and excitement. My dad was loved by so many and I hope to honor his legacy.

~How he passed~

Around Thanksgiving, Kabir dad started losing his appetite and having stomach pain. On December 3, 2022, he couldn't take it anymore and after closing up his shop for the day, he drove from San Rafael and went to the emergency room to get it checked. Little did he and our family know that this would be the last day he would go to work or anywhere at all. After being admitted, my father could no longer eat, his body rejected any type of nutrition and lost 30 pounds. After several tests and biopsies, it was confirmed that he had Stage 4 cholangicarcinoma (biliary cancer) and a tumor was blocking his stomach. 

He had high hopes for treatment and recovery. He told us to keep his shop standing and to not worry about anything in hopes of fighting the cancer and returning back to his normal life. He and our family tried very hard to increase his nutrition, but his body could not accept it. When he started his chemotherapy, his body became even weaker. Even though he was strong mentally (he was talking to us normally moments before he passed) his body started to fail and internally bleed. After several attempts to patch up the bleeding, the doctors deemed my father too weak for the stitches to heal. God decided it was enough and returned Kabir Sahebi Akramy back to Him with my mom and sisters surrounding him.

Kabir was honorably buried at Chapel of the Chimes Cemetary, Hayward, CA

We did not expect my father to pass away and leave us the way he did. Little did we know that December 3 would be the last day he would be in his shop and never be able to return. He had high hopes for seeing us all get married, having grandchildren, traveling more, and retiring to enjoy the selfless hard work and sacrifices he made into raising his family. He always talked about keeping the shop open for a couple more years and retiring formally. His unexpected and tragic loss has left a hole in our hearts that can not be replaced. Our family and I have a lot of memories with him in his shop, our home, and places we used to go with him. We are not only deeply saddened by his loss but also the loss of making new memories with him, especially the ones he longed to have with us. 

Our dad did a lot for us and for the people he cared about. Even though he left us  earlier than we ever imagined, we are so grateful for all he did for us and all the most beautiful moments in life we had with him. To cherish the precious memories, we are hoping our water well and tree project can honor his life and do a lot for a community in need Click here to view the project

We have found an amazing and talented tailor to take over the shop which will be reopening May 15. Of course no one will be able to replace the tailoring skills that my father had, but are hoping to pass down the legacy he created to another aspiring tailor.

Thank you all for your love and support. And if you were one of my dad’s clients, thank you for supporting my dad's business. Your business helped my dad to provide us with everything we had growing up and what we are today :) My family and I are all grateful.

Kabir is survived by his wife (Faozia), his 3 daughters (Farah, Zari, Shabana), son (Adies), 2 son-in-laws (Matt and Reshad), 4 brothers, 1 sister, 5 nephews and 3 nieces.

All funds from this GoFundMe will be used to pay off my dad’s remaining business expenses he couldnt manage while he was hospitalized. Anything leftover will be stored in an emergency savings for my family and/or donated to the water well and tree project in his memory.