Albert Joseph Harb

Albert Joseph Harb, 73, was ushered into the arms of his Savior, Jesus, on August 14, 2025, surrounded by his wife and children. He fought acute myeloid leukemia bravely and with dignity for 11 months. His faith has been made sight. Praise be to God.

Albert was born in Lexington, Kentucky on May 4, 1952, the youngest of 3 children. His parents, Joseph and Jasmine “Helen” Harb, were motel owners in Knoxville, TN and beloved members of the vibrant Arab community that immigrated to Knoxville from Ramallah, Palestine. His childhood was one of both hard work and mischief with all his cousins. He graduated from Fulton High School with lifelong friends. After graduating from the University of Tennessee in 1974, he opened a restaurant named “Tennessee Host Restaurant” where he was famous for his “steak in a sack” sandwiches. His love for the written word and a genuine passion for helping people led him to pursue a law degree at the University of Tennessee. He graduated with a Juris Doctorate in 1979.

Albert met the love of his life, Carmen Cory, at a family wedding on January 20, 1977. The story of their meeting could only be described as love at first sight. After a long-distance courtship, they were married in Birmingham, Alabama on November 23, 1980. Albert and Carmen would have celebrated 45 years of marriage in November. The hallmarks of their marriage were steady love and faithfulness, a joint passion for raising their children, service to their church and community, travel, worship of God and enjoyment of His creation, laughter, hard work, and numerous construction projects. He always saw her as the beautiful bride of his youth and treasured and loved her deeply, as she did him. One of the greatest delights of their marriage is their nine grandchildren born in the last decade, to whom he was affectionately known as “Sidi”.

Albert and Carmen raised and loved three children, Ashleigh, Nicholas and Noelle. Of all of Albert’s many accolades and achievements, the crown jewels of his life were his children. He was known to pull them close and say, “Come here, I need to tell you a secret” - followed by the whisper: “I love you.” He could never tell them enough how much he loved them and how proud he was of them. He was immeasurably thankful for the people his children have become, the spouses they married, and the children they are raising.

Albert practiced law independently after law school but quickly joined the law firm of Hodges, Doughty, and Carson in1984. He practiced law there until his diagnosis in September 2024. While at HDC, he developed a large construction law practice, enjoyed representation of the underdog in personal injury matters, and retained a large and diverse list of corporate and commercial litigation clients. Over the course of his career, he received countless accolades and awards that are too numerous to name here. Many of his best friends were his law partners. Albert’s legal career was marked by his integrity, wisdom, generosity, steadiness, ability to think outside the box, hard work, and the brute force of his remarkable intellect. In addition to this, Albert had a file folder just for jokes, and his signature laugh filled the halls of the firm.

Albert was a renaissance man in every way, pursuing knowledge, hobbies and experiences that spanned farming, cattle ranching, fly fishing, cycling, reading, hiking, music, travel, history, restoring cars, owning real estate, construction, and building relationships with people from all walks of life. Both professionally and personally, he left everything better than he found it.

Albert was a passionate and devoted member of and advocate for the Palestinian community both in Knoxville, Tennessee and in Ramallah, Palestine. His desire to bring unity to the Palestinian community in Knoxville led him to serve as the President of the Ramallah Club of Knoxville for 10 years. He loved everything about his Palestinian heritage and its people – the culture, traditions, music, food, hospitality, and generosity. He admired their courage in facing hardship and the difficulties of immigrating. He loved Arab parties and weddings and was often found dancing to the beat of the tableh drum. He made several trips back to the Old Country in his life and had a strong desire to preserve his heritage for his children and grandchildren.

Albert’s faith was what kept him steady, secure, and at peace even to death. He loved Jesus, and lived in great confidence that Jesus loved him. He felt God’s hand of protection and care over him his whole life. He lived out his faith in acts of service for his family and community. He showed grace and strength in impossible situations. He pursued peace in chaos. He was radically generous. Albert endeavored to “preach the Gospel at all times and, if necessary, use words.” He was a founding member of Apostles Anglican Church in 2006 and served as Chancellor of the Church.

He is reunited in death with his family members, whom he loved deeply: his parents Joseph Hanna and Jasmine “Helen” Harb; his sister Joanie Harb Shannon; and his brothers-in-law Charles Shannon and Ernest Cory. He is survived by his wife, Carmen Cory Harb, his children Ashleigh Harb Roberts (Gabe); Nicholas Albert Harb (Christine); Noelle Harb Brundige (Stefan) and his grandchildren Seeley, Colette, Wade, Helen and Rivers Roberts; Samuel, Margaret and Miles Harb; and James Albert Brundige. He is also survived by his brother John Harb and numerous cousins.

The Harb Family would like to express their sincere gratitude to Dr. Wahid Hanna and the entire staff at UT Medical Center 5 West for their tender care.

The receiving of friends will take place on Wednesday, August 20, 2025 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at Apostles Anglican Church. The funeral will be held on Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 11:00 am at Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church with a graveside service to follow at Berry Highland Memorial Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Albert’s honor to Apostles Anglican Church, the Dr. Wahid Hanna Educational Endowment at the University of Tennessee or FISH Hospitality Pantries.