Jalil S. Karam

Delray Beach, FL – Jalil S. Karam, passed away on August 21, 2024, two weeks after his 97th birthday. He was surrounded by his loved ones albeit near and from afar. Jalil was born in Lebanon where his American father was living. He lost his mother when he was only a year old. While in Lebanon, he attended French schools through high school; then at the age of 19 he came to the United States where he graduated from the University of Bridgeport. He then received his Master’s degree in parasitology/entomology from Boston University. He attended Washington State College for a year before joining the US Army where he performed disease research at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. After completing his service, he took his first US AID (Agency for International Development) assignment in Liberia where he met his wife, Mona Nahas; the daughter of a Lebanese merchant born in the Sudan. From Liberia, he took on his second assignment in Saigon, Vietnam, where his educational background and fluency in French proved invaluable in eradicating malaria in the region. From there his next assignment took him to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; then Amman, Jordan; Port-au-Prince, Haïti; and finally, to Fairfax, Virginia. On many occasions, his work led to him sharing it with foreign dignitaries like Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and King Hussain bin Talal of Jordan, to name a few. After 55 years with the foreign service, he retired and moved to South Florida.

As a very athletic individual, upon his retirement, Jalil reengaged in playing any and every sport he relished, from tennis to pickleball, bocce ball to golf, ping-pong to pool table, fishing to bowling. This was a passion that came to an abrupt end a few years ago when his body started to fail him and reading became his new passion as well as mind bender games.

Jalil was devoted to his family, and with his wife, he raised two daughters, whom he loved deeply. Never a day passed without a smile, laughter, a song, a call, or a meal being shared with them. Sundays were especially the treat of the week where he would grill up a storm and joke that he was the chef of the household and taught Mona how to be the great chef she is. His family will forever revere him for his unrelenting kindness and generosity; his words of wisdom; and his unconditional love and support.

Jalil is survived by his wife Mona, his daughters Anita (Louis) and Nella (George); grandchildren John-Michael (Brittani) and Joey (Braquel); and his great-grandchild Henry, “The Prince” as he would call him.

The family will hold a wake/viewing at 10:00am on Monday, August 26th, from 10:00am – 11:15am at St. Nicholas Greek Melkite Church, 5715 Lake Ida Road, Delray Beach, FL 33484. Services will follow at 11:30am also at St. Nicholas Greek Melkite Church. Entombment will be at 1:15pm at the Boca Raton Mausoleum at 451 SW 4th Avenue, Boca Raton, FL 33432.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests considering donations to the St. Nicholas Greek Melkite Church Building Fund or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Fond memories and expressions of condolences for the Karam family may be shared at BabioneSouthFlorida.com.