Mr Naim Naim Elias Ghattas

12/27/1930 - 7/2/2015

Beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend to many. Naim lost his battle to Interstitial Lung Disease and passed away after 7 days in the ICU at Kaiser Roseville Hospital. His favorite quote was "love each other, live your life to the fullest and always smile". Naim is survied by his wife (Claire Ghattas) , and 4 children and spouses (Elias & Maha, Sana & David, Sami & Nathalie and Suheir & Charly) and 9 grandchildren (Mike, Robert, Tanya, Christine, Christian, Alex, Oliver, Andrew and Antony)

Funeral Services will be held on Monday July 6th at 12pm at: St. Mel Catholic Church, 4745 Pennsylvania Avenue,Fair Oaks, CA 95628

Biography

To everyone around him, Naim seemed to be eternally happy, and willingly shared that joy with anyone whose life he touched. For Naim, bringing out the best in any situation was as easy as offering a smile and a witty remark. He always trusted in God's will. He was possessed with an outgoing personality, a lively imagination and a mellowed enthusiasm for life. He loved to sing to famous arabic musicians like Fareed Al Atrash and Oum Kalthoum and made it a habit to sing in family social gatherings. He had great interests in horoscopes and listened to it daily. Naim typically started his day by enjoying his cappuccino in the morning, working for a few hours, ensuring that his weekly lottery tickets have been purchased, a potential casino visit after three, and ending his day with a scotch on the rocks, his favorite medicine.

Naim was raised in Jaffa, Palestine. His parents were Aneeseh and Salem. He was raised to be warm, caring and friendly. Naim was the youngest of four siblings. He had three brothers and one sister, Salem, Bishara, Wadii and Henriette.

On June 29, 1957 Naim married Claire Ardaji and was blessed with four children, two sons and two daughters. They were also blessed with nine grandchildren, Mike, Robert, Tanya, Christine, Christian, Alex, Oliver, Andrew and Antony. Naim had the ability to focus his attention on the present moment. He spent time with his family members and grand children and entertained with card games. His compassionate side prevented him from being a strict disciplinarian, and he could turn just about any situation into a playful, learning experience.

His primary profession was in banking . He was employed for 20 years by the Bank of Cairo in Amman, Jordan. In 1983, Naim moved with his entire family to the United States, settled in Sacramento, California and opened Art's Liquor Bin which he ran for 17 years. During his retirement years, Naim assisted his wife in running their family owned Claire's Montessori School where he was handling all of the financial affairs.

Naim passed away on July 2, 2015 at Kaiser Roseville Hospital from Interstitial Lung Desease. He is survived by his wife Claire; his four children and spouses Elias & Maha, Sana & David, Sami & Nathalie and Suheir & Charly and his nine grandchildren Mike, Robert, Tanya, Christine, Christian, Alex, Oliver, Andrew and Antony. Services were held at St. Mel Catholic Church. Naim was laid to rest in Mount Vernon Memorial Park and Cemetery.

Naim brought joy to all of those around him. He never had a mean bone in his body. He loved to have a good time and was an eternal optimist, always looking on the bright side of things. He loved to share his energy, wit, and his zest for all of his activities with his friends and family. Mr. Naim Elias Ghattas lived life to its fullest and made everyone around him happier just by knowing him. His last words to his family were "love each other and be happy". He will be remembered with a smile.