Rabab Halahel

Rabab was the daughter of Elias Bakht and Massara Fadel, and a beloved sister to Raif and Simon Bakht. She married the love of her life, Moufid Elias Halahel in 1948, and went on to have 4 children with him: Ferial Dagher (Nehmé), Ted Halahel (Houri), Mary Salib (Nabil) and Joe Halahel (Hala). She also had 6 grandchildren: Georges, Elizabeth, John, Katia, Chadi, and David. She was also incredibly proud to have a great-grandson, Willy. She had a long and loving marriage with Moufid, their largest point of contention being the temperature of the house: she was chronically cold, and he was chronically too hot (she kept the thermostat at 27 degrees). Their 70-year relationship had true synchronicity - she liked to cook, he liked to eat; she slept during the day, he slept at night; she stayed in the house, he was in the backyard; she loved talking on the phone and telling endless stories, he never heard the phone ring. But when they were gathered around the kitchen table during their morning coffee or their early bird dinner, they delighted in each other's company.

Her home was always open to everyone, from new immigrants, to refugees, strangers, and family alike. She helped many lay their roots and get their start in Canada. Her way of communicating love was through cooking, always ready (and insistent upon) feeding people. Simply, Rabab's love language was food.

She was not only a wife and mother, she was also a boss. A businesswoman at heart, she became a serial entrepreneur, first selling Viviane Woodard makeup to all the ladies in Lebanon, and building a sales team who worked for her. She then moved on to managing her husband's grocery store, where she would bring her youngest child to hang out while she made her sales for the day. When the family immigrated to Canada, she was clear that she wanted to work for herself, ultimately purchasing and running everyone's favourite ice cream shop, Baskin Robbins. Until her death, she was constantly looking for more opportunities to thrive in business, ultimately investing in her children and grandchildren's dreams. (At the age of 90, she was still inquiring about bringing Viviane Woodard to Canada).

She was a strong, confident, bold, fearless woman who endured a lot of strife, but was always quick to find laughter, and committed to being a fighter. She will be dearly missed by all those who had the opportunity to love her.

A visitation for Rabab will be held Thursday, November 24, 2022 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Kane-Jerrett Funeral Homes, 8088 Yonge Street, Thornhill, ON L4J1W3. A funeral service will occur Saturday, November 26, 2022 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, 9116 Bayview Ave, Richmond Hill, ON L4B3R9. A graveside service will occur Saturday, November 26, 2022 from 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM at Elgin Mills Cemetery, 1591 Elgin Mills Rd, Richmond Hill, ON L4S1M9.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.kanejerrett-thornhill.ca for the Halahel family.