On August 10, 1953, in Washington, D.C., at Sidley Memorial Hospital, Zaina Kazma Masri was born to two Lebanese-Brazilian immigrants, Samih and Laurisse Masri. The first of her seven siblings, Zaina would often recount how her parents started from humble beginnings — with only a cardboard box as a dinner table. Zaina grew up watching her parents work during the day, while her maternal grandmother, Olinda Fatalla, cared for her and her siblings. Zaina looked up to her parents and watched as they realized their American Dream here in Miami, FL. Samih and Laurisse worked hard to eventually afford and fill a beautiful marble table around which the Masri family held all celebrations big and small. As a daughter, Zaina took the lessons her parents and grandparents taught her to heart, sharing their wisdom with her children for years to come.
Always a devout daughter, Zaina took it especially seriously when Samih once told her, “If God loves you, he will show you his world.” After that, Zaina became a flight attendant and went on to work for National Airlines, Pan American Airlines, and United Airlines — a period in her life that Zaina often described as glamorous. Because of her fluency in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, Zaina often worked on first class international flights to: Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Tokyo, Seoul, and more. On these flights, she met and even grabbed lunch with the likes of Bob Hope, Sofia Loren, Cher, George Peppard, James Franciscus, then Governor Ronald Reagan, and other politicians and celebrities. While flying for Pan Am, she was handpicked to be “Miss Pan Am,” competing in an international beauty pageant in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Though she came in second, Zaina was humbled one evening when she received a standing ovation from a restaurant of fans, who cheered declaring her their favorite.
In the 1980s, this Boeing 747 Queen met a Pan Am pilot named Brian Matthiesen, and they had two kids Michael and Brianna. Zaina retired from the airlines soon after Brianna’s birth in 1994 to build a life for her family as abe a mom and real estate agent. While always making the time for attending Michael and Brianna’s school plays, PTA meetings, chorus concerts, and karate demonstrations Zaina also managed multi-million-dollar properties throughout the state of Florida.
Zaina balanced being a dedicated full-time mother, a realtor, a daughter, and a friend well — often using her night owl traits to stay up late to work or catch up with loved ones. Zaina loved meeting her children and friends for dinners out, with Dadeland usually being her scenery of choice. She was a proud ‘Cane Mom’, actively supporting her children as they pursued degrees at the University of Miami. Both of her kids followed in her footsteps, being the first in her family to receive a college education. Zaina loved music, especially when her kids were the ones singing it. They likely took an interest in it after growing up with her singing to them every night, particularly: “You Are My Sunshine.” She loved Elvis, Cher, and Frank Sinatra, but later became partial to spiritual songs.
Later in life, Zaina focused on taking care of her ailing parents' health and eventually became the personal representative of their estate after Laurisse’s passing in 2014. Always a devoted daughter, Zaina tried to administer her parents’ estate as she thought they would have liked. Zaina passed away on her father’s birthday, July 4th.
Zaina will always be remembered by her kids for the unwavering conviction she learned from her parents, the unconditional love she gave as a mother, and the stories of her travels around the world. She will be remembered for the way she carried herself, with dignity and grace, even when her health began to waiver. It is an honor to remember someone with such class, beauty, grace, and strength.
A burial for Zaina will be held Friday, July 14, 2023 at 11:30 AM at Woodlawn Park South, 11655 SW 117 Ave, Miami, Florida 33186.
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