Wahiba was the only child of Aziz Abd el Noor and Bellsum Marcos Yacob. Her grandparents on her father's side were Abd el Noor and Nozha and on her mother's side were Marcos and Zafpharon. She grew up in Girga and her father, Aziz worked in the family business as a tailor. Aziz passed away when Wahiba was very young.
Wahiba married Mobarak Shaker Awad and they started their life together in Girga. Wahiba was a very smart women who had a creative, business mind. When Mobarak thought about starting his own real estate brokerage and title company in 1938, Wahiba encouraged and supported this idea and even sold her wedding ring and wedding gold to help in this new adventure. With the funds she raised, she bought staples for the family for an entire year to ensure that her family would be provided for in case of hard times. Mobarak was extremely successful in this business up until the day he passed away in October 1991.
Besides being the wife of Mobarak, Wahiba was the driving force behind his business. She was his partner in the building of a large apartment building in Girga. The building was designed in that there was an apartment for each of her sons. This was Wahiba's home up until three years ago when she moved to Giza, Egypt because of health reasons.
Wahiba and Mobarak were parents to eight sons; Zakaria, Fouad, Wahib, Youssef, Mahfouz, Sabry, Nasser and Assam. Through Wahiba's determination, she saw all eight sons graduate from college with careers ranging from doctors to engineers. Fouad was the first son to immigrate to America and later five more of Wahiba's sons immigrated to America. She was fortunate to make the trip to America three times to see her sons and their wives, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Wahiba's first love was her Lord and her faithfulness to her beloved Coptic Church. She was truly a saintly woman in that she always thought of others before she thought of herself. She received great pleasure in helping others and providing necessities for them. Many times she provided money to less fortunate young women to buy their wedding necessities. Her family was her crowning glory and she raised eight healthy sons. In the late 1940's she heard about an outbreak of diptheria. Two different neighbors had lost a total of five children in one day to this deadly disease. Wahiba gathered her three sons at that time and took them in a hontour (horse drawn carriage) to the vaccination clinic and insisted that her sons be vaccinated against this disease. Her sons were among the very first to be vaccinated in the city of Girga.
Nothing gave Wahiba more pleasure than seeing her grandchildren being baptised in the same church as her children were baptised in. One son from America had his children baptised in Girga, Egypt and later made the trip again as recently as 2010 with his grandson (Wahiba's great grandson) for baptism. Seeing this gave Wahiba great pleasure.
After Mobarak passed away, Wahiba spent her time worshipping in the Coptic churches of Girga. She was a very spiritual woman and many would seek her out for her help in praying for them. Once when she was visiting St. Sergius Church in Old Cairo (the same church where the holy family fled with Jesus when they were in Egypt) she told the people at the church all about being down in the crypt and how she was healed. This had taken place years ago as now visitors cannot go down into the crypt. She had an audience around her listening to her story. She shone with the Light of Christ.
Wahiba was a petite little woman with a big heart. She had given birth to eight sons and when asked by her oldest sons why she keeps on having children even at age 46, she always answered that she was "looking to give birth to a daughter"! After the birth of her 8th and final son, she realized that she would not have a daughter. However, she was blessed to have eight daughter-in-laws who loved her dearly.
The last three years of Wahiba's life were spent in a nursing home on Pyramid Street in Giza, Egypt. The family wanted to keep Wahiba close to them but due to the nature of Wahiba's illness, dementia, she demanded around the clock care. Her son, Mahfouz and his wife Magda saw her regularly during this time along with her son Youssef and his wife Mary. Dr. Magda, her daughter-in-law, provided for Wahiba's medical needs during this time.
Wahiba passed away in the afternoon of November 28, 2013. Her body was transported by private hearse to her hometown of Girga where there was a viewing at her home. Her funeral service was held on November 29, 2013 at The Angel Coptic Church in Girga. She was laid to rest in the new Coptic Cemetery in Girga. There was a reception in her honor at the church parish hall and over 600 people attended to pay their last respects to this amazing woman.
We will truly miss Wahiba as she holds a dear place in our hearts. She leaves behind, eight sons and their wives, 19 grand children and 11 great grand children. May her Memory be Eternal.
