Fouad Mershed Arab

It is with great sadness we share the passing of our father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Fouad Mershed Arab, who passed away on Friday, November 22nd at the age of 93, in one of his favourite places, the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia.

Fred, as he was more commonly known to those who loved him, was born in Diman, Lebanon in 1931, as the youngest of 7 children to Mershed and Yousfieh Arab. It was there, in the mountains of northern Lebanon, where his lifelong passion for gardening first took root.

In 1957, after several of his siblings had immigrated to Australia, Fred instead took a chance and immigrated to Halifax, Nova Scotia, following his heart, so he could marry his wife Noel. It was here where they built their life and raised their five children.

In Halifax, Fred worked hard to create a better life for his family in a country that offered endless possibilities. His first job was as a bartender at the Armdale Yacht Club where he spoke hardly any English but was loved by patrons and managers alike for his work ethic and honesty. He remembered his time there fondly and spoke about it often.

Most people, especially the Rockingham community, will remember his working years spent behind the counter at The Cove store with a smile on his face, where he worked alongside his family seven days a week for twenty years. He loved the daily interactions with customers, many of whom became dear friends.

For our family, however, it will be the image of him in his dirty overalls and straw hat, digging in his vegetable garden that we will always remember best. He loved being outside, chasing his dogs, going hunting, building things in his shed, and, most of all gardening. For him, gardening was such a passion, that he always said he wanted to retire in the Valley, on a big plot of land, just so he could garden more; a dream that became reality.

Fred loved his family dearly, always placing their needs ahead of his own. His own happiness could be gauged by the happiness of his family. Fred also had a great sense of humour and loved to make people laugh, and he usually succeeded, because even if what he said wasn’t funny, his own laugh was so infectious, you couldn’t help but laugh along with him. His many catch phrases and quotable lines made it easy to predict how most conversations would start and end (“You lookin’ good!”, “I love you ya ya ya”, “I love you unlimited times a hundred”) and even inspired a few of his grandchildren’s skits.

Fouad was predeceased by his parents, Mershed and Yousfieh, his wife Noel, his siblings: Youssef (Khazoon), Agnes (Youssef), Khalil, Marian (Antonios), Norman (Rose), and John. He is survived by his 5 children: Dianne (Joseph) Salah, Roseanne (Anthony) Salah, Denise Arab, Sonia Arab (Michael Douglas) and Robert (Penny) Arab; his 14 grandchildren: Melissa, Christopher (Stephanie), Ashley, Michelle (Elias), Andrew (Deanna), Patrick, Matthew (Michaela), Noelle, Joseph, Noah, Sofia, Talia, Alice and Freddie; his 7 great-grandchildren: Anthony, Nicholas, Ethan, Christopher Jr., Sergio, Joseph and Nora; and many nieces and nephews in Canada, Australia and Lebanon.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, November 28th from 2-4pm and 6-8 pm at JA Snow Funeral Home, 339 Lacewood Drive, Halifax. Funeral will be held on Friday, November 29th at 10am at Saint Benedict Parish, 45 Radcliffe Drive, Halifax, with his grandson, Fr. Patrick Salah presiding. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Saint Benedict Parish.