Tariq Khan, a Hewlett Harbor resident who built a successful business career while dedicating himself to philanthropy, community service and helping those in need, died Oct. 7 at his winter home in The Villages, Florida. He was 74.
Khan served as deputy fire commissioner in his village and on the boards of hospitals and nonprofits, was known for bringing people together to support charitable causes, from hunger relief to scholarships and services for people with disabilities.
His family suspects his death was heart-related because of its suddenness, said his youngest son, Adam Khan.
Khan’s philanthropy extended to national organizations, including the March of Dimes and the American Heart Association, and local institutions such as Island Harvest Food Bank, Molloy University, Hofstra University’s National Center for Suburban Studies, Independent Group Home Living and Life’s WORC, which supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
His connection to Island Harvest began in 1992, when the organization rescued food from a convenience store he owned. He later served on its board of directors, helping the organization grow.
“Tariq Khan’s legacy as a passionate advocate for ending hunger began with Island Harvest’s founding in 1992,” Randi Shubin Dresner, the organization’s president and CEO wrote in a statement. “That first food rescue laid the foundation for the movement to end hunger and reduce food waste on Long Island.”
Khan also served on the boards of NuHealth Foundation, which supports Nassau University Medical Center, and other charitable organizations. His longtime friend S. Zaki Hossain, of Huntington, said Khan’s greatest strength was connecting people who could help a cause.
Born Tariq Ahmad Khan on May 20, 1952, in Lahore, Pakistan, he was one of six children of Ghulam Khan, a military accountant, and Begum Khan, a homemaker. He earned a political science degree from Forman Christian College before immigrating to the United States in 1973 and eventually becoming a naturalized citizen.
After settling in Queens, Khan worked multiple jobs, including selling life insurance and working in a law firm’s collections department. He later acquired convenience stores in Manhattan and Brooklyn and a gas station in Valley Stream before entering the 7-Eleven franchise system in 1998.
By 2004, he owned five 7-Eleven stores across Elmont, Lynbrook, Rockville Centre and Freeport. He became an advocate for franchise owners, serving as president of the United Franchise Owners of Long Island & New York and chairman of the National Coalition of Associations of 7-Eleven Franchisees.
Khan also pursued real estate and other ventures. In 2013, he purchased Oceanside’s Middle Bay Country Club after it entered bankruptcy following Superstorm Sandy. The property later changed ownership and became the Golf Club at Middle Bay. He was also a member of Peninsula Kiwanis in Hewlett.
“As a longtime supporter, Tariq encouraged many colleagues and friends to support Island Harvest as well, and as a member of the Board of Directors, he helped grow the organization into Long Island’s leading hunger-relief and social services organization,” Dresner wrote. “Tariq’s contributions to Island Harvest and to improving the lives of Long Islanders struggling to feed their families were numerous, and he will be missed immeasurably.”
Khan married Senita Baychu, a Guyanese immigrant, on Oct. 11, 1975. The couple lived in Queens before moving to Lynbrook in 1985 and later settling in Hewlett Harbor.
In addition to his wife and Adam, Khan is survived by a son, Imran Khan, of Baldwin; a daughter, Natasha Khan, of Brooklyn; three brothers in New York City; and two sisters in Houston.
A religious service was held at Muhammadi Masjid Mosque in Elmont, of which Khan was a founding member, followed by a service at the Islamic Center of Long Island in Westbury on Oct. 10.
