A Pillar of the Zoroastrian Community, Homi Davier Passes On

By Jawahar Malhotra & Jenisteen Davier

HOUSTON: To say that he knew the many facets of the travel business was an understatement. When all else failed, or you needed a last minute itinerary to get your visa or passport, you knew Homi could get it to you, no questions asked. And he could hold that reservation for you miraculously for days, without fussing at the constant changes.

Homi Davier, who was also known as Homi Davierwala, passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack in his Sugar Land home, on Sunday, May 7 at 6 pm. He was 74, just a week shy of his 75th birthday.

Homi Davier was born on May 14, 1948 to Hilla and Manchershaw Davierwala in Bombay, India. Homi met Nergish Kurva at the age of 15 when they both attended the same after-school tuitions class. Their romance blossomed and they were married in 1974.

In his youth, Homi pursued his passion for aviation by training as a pilot and this served as the catalyst to beginning his career in travel. When he received an offer to work with a new division of Gulf Airlines, the couple moved to Oman, Muscat where they welcomed their only child, daughter Jenisteen in 1978.

In 1980 the family relocated to Houston, as Homi transitioned from working with an airline to joining a local travel agency, Everest Travel, run by friends from his days in Muscat, Krishnan and Lakshmann. A few years later he started his own travel agency, Capricorn Travel  & Tours, named after his daughter’s birth sign. His clients became lifelong friends because he didn’t just book tickets, he arranged adventures, accompanied them on expeditions and his joy for travel imbued a sense of delight in each person’s trip.

In 1991, after Latavia gained its independence from the Soviet Union, Homi led a group of American investors to take on a managing share of the nation’s planned new airline, Baltic International Airlines, and turn the country into a hub for travel in Eastern Europe. The venture ended a couple of years later and the airline eventually was sold to SAS.

Shortly after moving to Houston Homi and his family joined the Zoroastrian Association of Houston which became a defining moment and led to his passion for serving and helping grow the young and newly formed community. During his years in ZAH he served on multiple committees and was the co-founder for the World Zoroastrian Chamber of Commerce.

He co-chaired the 7th World Zoroastrian Congress in 2000 which resulted in his becoming a co-founder of the Congress Legacy Project which grants annual scholarships to local youth members. His parting gift to the community he loved so dearly  was the 2023 Zoroastrian Directory which he was able to gather more than $25,000 in advertisements that benefit the center. He took immense pride in being a part of ZAH and was always thinking, talking and dreaming of more ideas on how to build an even stronger community.

Despite several health issues that sidelined him for awhile, Homi was an optimist and towards the later part of his career, he joined New York Life as a financial adviser though he still also offered travel services through his company Xpert Tours.

During this time he revived an old passion of his, art and painting. Homi came from a family of artists and was excited to have this be a part of his life again. He was a contemporary artist that created vibrant oils with joyful bursts of coloring. He participated in and won awards at several exhibitions across Ft. Bend county.

In addition to his wife Nergish and daughter Jenisteen, he is survived by his sister-in-law Pervin and her husband Maneck who presided as a priest at his funeral, and sisters in Mumbai, Kashmira and Binaifer.