Jerilee June Niazi

April 6, 1946 - April 3, 2020

SOUTH BEND, IN - Jeri Niazi (born Jerilee June Frame, but only strangers called her by her full name) passed away three days before her 74th birthday at her home in Mount Pleasant, WI. Born in Niles, MI, on April 6, 1946 at 4:06AM, Jeri was the daughter of James Frame and Barbara Bauman Frame. Jeri would be the first to say that she lived a long and wonderful life; she loved nothing more than a new friend or an obtuse thrift-store find.

After graduating from John Adams High School, she had a variety of jobs -- always people-focused, because she loved connecting with others -- but spent most of her career as an oriental carpet appraiser and restorer, with a healthy smattering of vintage and antique dealing thrown in for good measure. Her business cards identified her as “Jeri Niazi, S.S.E.,” or “Self-Styled Expert.” She had an insatiable curiosity for the truth and, as such, was a self-styled expert in all sorts of fields. In her last two decades, she found a passion for vitamins and nutrition, counseling friends and family on their ailments as she consulted her many books and resources. If she was still alive, she would tell you to take your zinc and your magnesium.

While Jeri lived primarily in the Midwest, her adventurous spirit found her making her home in a variety of locales, and she would say that the years she lived in Karachi, Pakistan were some of the best of her life. It was here that her rug business bloomed, and she prided herself on having all types of friends: from Afghan smugglers to German diplomats to everyone in between. Jeri loved a good party and could often be found bringing people together either in her home or at the Karachi American Club.

After a brief marriage to Jim Nace, Jeri married Muzzamil “Mujji” Niazi in 1978. Although they divorced in the 1990's, Jeri and Mujji remained friends in their later years and shared joyful stories and parental observations about their two daughters, Aliya (Nick) Pitts of Wind Point, WI and Leila Niazi of Washington, DC, as well as their three grandchildren, Eleanor, Lincoln, and Georgia Pitts.

When Jeri passed, she did so peacefully and at home, surrounded by her two daughters, her son-in-law, and her best friend of over forty-five years, Judy Schlee. She was preceded in death by her parents and many dear friends, most notably Jack and Lucille Comegys. Services in the Michiana area will be determined at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Hospice Alliance of Pleasant Prairie, WI, whose incredibly kind staff allowed Jeri to depart this world the same way she lived her colorful life: on her own terms.

Published in South Bend Tribune on Apr. 12, 2020

04/13/2020 JFC

Date of death: 04/03/2020                                                                                                  

(DWROSE-4/13/2020)