City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Sepideh Saidi
Raleigh, North Carolina
Age 62.
Died 03/24/2025.
October 10, 1962 – March 24, 2025
Surrounded by her beloved family, our beautiful Sepi Saidi, age 62, peacefully transitioned to her eternal home on March 24, 2025. She took with her a soul that radiated joy, gratitude, and unwavering faith. Sepi lived to make a difference, always striving to leave things better than she found them. She carried herself with a grace and determination that made anything feel possible. Her sheer presence brightened any room, blanketing it with warmth that welcomed everyone in—a warmth that belonged uniquely to her. Sepi accomplished so much throughout her life. If she were here writing this today, we know she’d wish for her greatest legacy to be this: “Love is the truth of it all. Everything I did, I did in love.”
Sepi was love. She is love. And she will remain love forever more.
Sepi (deh), which means "dawn" in Farsi, feels like the perfect foreshadowing for the woman who would come to believe (and know) that every day brings with it new opportunities, hopes, promises, and dreams. At age 15, Sepi left her home country of Iran for the opportunity of a new life across the world: Raleigh, NC. Shortly after, a revolution erupted in her homeland.
Sepi chose optimism as her only answer. She doubled down.
“I must feel how I want my life to be. I must understand that there’s nobody who can control my life but me. The choice is mine.”
Sepi was a trailblazer, and a natural-born leader. Graduating from NC State University with degrees in Civil & Agricultural Engineering, she went on to found SEPI Engineering and Construction in 2001. True to Sepi’s vision, the company held firm to its core values, ultimately becoming one of the top 500 private engineering firms in the country. Sepi’s professional awards and accolades are numerous; however, the “work” she loved most was fiercely advocating for women’s equality in the workplace. She drew upon her own life experiences to inspire and support others. Sepi brought her full, vibrant self to every relationship. She didn’t hold back. In 2022, Sepi was inducted into the NC Women Business Owners Hall of Fame.
For all that Sepi experienced in her lifetime—the countries, the colors, the connections—her favorite place was quite simple: home. Nothing made her happier or more fulfilled than being Nakisa and Bardia’s mother. She knew their strengths, weaknesses, and every tiny detail in between. When things were great, Sepi was their biggest fan. When the world felt heavy, she was their first phone call—a one-of-a-kind refuge, filled with abundant healing and comfort. Sepi adored her children, and who they became. She never missed a chance to tell you that. Following Sepi’s diagnosis, Nakisa and Bardia showered their mom with the same love she poured into them all along: an unconditional, "whatever it takes, we’re in this together" type of love. A love that stands the test of time and dimension.
Sepi never gave up. She intentionally grounded herself in her spiritual practices every day—prayers of gratitude, meditation, and uplifting affirmations. Not coincidentally, her spirit remained as alive as ever. Sepi was deeply thankful for the amazing people who stayed by her side through it all: her family, her friends, and her medical team.
Throughout Sepi’s life—no matter the circumstances—faith and optimism were the things that kept her well. In the words of Rumi, one of Sepi’s favorite Persian poets:
“Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation.”—Rumi.
Sepi’s legacy powerfully lives on through her children and their families Nakisa Asefnia, Bardia Asefnia (Carter Crew); her siblings Sofey Saidi and Taher Saidi and countless friends, colleagues and confidants.
Our hearts are broken, yet we know our beautiful Sepi Saidi is on her biggest adventure yet—soaring freely with the angels, watching over and cheering us on.
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We would love for you to join our family at Sepi’s “Celebration of Life”:
Time: Saturday, April 5, 2025: Please join anytime between 2:00 – 5:00 PM.
Location: Aria Center – 2609 North Duke Street; Suite 700. Durham, NC 27704
**In the spirit of celebrating, please wear bright colors and no dark colors**
In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to:
North Carolina Museum of Art: https://shorturl.at/fExxx
InterAct Womens Shelter: https://interact.ejoinme.org/MyPages/DonationPage/tabid/63178/Default.aspx
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$6081.48
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home also offers Aquamation. The Aquamation process, often referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.