Sarah Haddad Safi peacefully departed her earthly life on July 9, 2022. She was born on December 15, 1921, in Jwaikhat, Syria, to father Abraham Haddad and mother Jamoul Abraham. When she was still quite young, her family emigrated briefly to Mexico before settling in El Paso. Sarah and her seven siblings were reared in a loving household filled with joy, even during the depths of the Great Depression. All of the children took their turns working in their parents’ business, the Yandell Market, which was adjacent to the family home. Sarah learned the values of hard work from her father in the store, and of gracious homemaking from her mother.
Sarah graduated from El Paso High School in 1939. At the time of her passing, she was considered the School’s oldest living graduate. During World War II, Sarah resourcefully ran her older brother Leo’s grocery store at the corner of Luna and Montana, while he served in the Army. Shortly after the war ended, while vacationing in Mexico, she met the love of her life, Sabre Salvador Safi, who had also been born in Jwaikhat. It was love at first sight, and they married on May 5, 1946 in the Church of St. Clement. The young couple resided in Cd. Valles, Mexico for a few years before relocating permanently to El Paso in 1953. Sarah devoted herself to her husband and their four children in a home filled with love and the wonderful food she loved to prepare.
Sarah celebrated her 100th birthday in December of 2021, in the company of all of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was the oldest living member of the Safi, the Haddad, and the Abraham extended families. She had a huge heart, and was generous and kind. Sarah was a tireless counselor and cheerleader to many. She was loved and will be missed by all who knew her.
Sarah was preceded in death by her parents, her beloved husband, and six of her siblings: Regina Haddad, Leo Haddad, Alice Aboud, Mary Malooly, Tony Haddad, and Frieda Aboud. She is survived by her four children, Leila Safi Hobson, Tamara Safi, Sabre Anthony Safi (Charlotte), George F. Safi (Jill); her seven grandchildren, Robert Sabre Safi (Heather), Bryan Safi, Sarah Hobson (Beau), Caroline Safi, Christine Hobson (Josh), Keith Safi, and Lindsey Safi Del Favero (Cameron); seven great-grandchildren; her younger sister, Katherine (Katy) Davis; and many beloved nieces and nephews.
Funeral Service will be Tuesday, July 19, 2022, at 9:30 a.m. at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, 120 N. Festival Dr., El Paso, TX 79912, the Rt. Rev. Archimandrite Fadi Rabbat and Rev. Deacon Michael Sifuentes officiating. Serving as pallbearers will be Bryan Safi, Keith Safi, Cameron Del Favero, John David Aboud, Anthony Haddad, and Christopher Todd. Private graveside services at a later date.
Following the funeral service, the family will receive guests at a brunch reception on the patio at El Paso Country Club, commencing at approximately 11:00 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to any of the following: St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church; Sabre and Sarah Safi Endowment for Excellence Scholarship at The University of Texas School of Law, online at www.UTLSF.org/safi or by check to 727 E. Dean Keeton Street, Austin, TX 78705; or Hospice of El Paso, Inc., 1440 Miracle Way, El Paso, TX 79925.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.MartinFuneralHomeWest.com for the Safi family.
