Salwa B Maayeh

Salwa Berbary Maayeh departed this earthly life peacefully in her sleep on December 12, 2023, at the age of 95 in Cape Coral, FL. She was a beloved mother, Teta (grandmother, great-grandmother), Auntie and friend. Salwa was loved and admired by her family and friends for her kindness, grace, compassion, love for others, shining spirit and fun-loving appreciation of life.

Born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1928, Salwa was the third of four children born to Shehadi and Marie Berbary. She married Fuad Salim Maayeh, from Madaba, Jordan, the love of her life, in June 1946. In December 1950, Salwa and Fuad came to the United States with two young daughters, and another daughter on the way. They settled in Dallas, TX, where they welcomed three more daughters to the family. Salwa was a stay-at-home wife and mother, where she created a loving, warm, safe, and supportive environment for her family. She was the mother of every child’s dreams…loving, patient, compassionate, kind, ever-present, and a great cook!

Salwa’s life journey with Fuad and their five daughters would take her to many exciting places where she established life-long friendships. Fuad’s engineering profession provided for moves to Huntsville, AL, Houston, TX, Seattle, WA, San Diego, CA, Pittsburgh, PA and Alexandria, VA. Upon retirement, they moved to Lago Vista, TX where they established many new friendships. Salwa and Fuad loved to entertain where Salwa was known to provide an authentic Lebanese spread that left everyone full, happy and jealous that Fuad got to eat like that everyday! They also enjoyed taking road trips to visit family and friends, or to their favorite destination, Las Vegas, where Salwa could most likely be found at the Casino slot machines trying her luck! Salwa and Fuad maintained a loving, supportive and fun-filled marriage for 57 beautiful years up until Fuad passed away in 2003. Even after this sudden and devastating loss, Salwa proved her strength, determination and love of life throughout the next 20 years, her family as her reason for living.

Salwa followed her first-born daughter and husband, Gilda and Ron Reynolds, to Cape Coral, FL in 2013 and immediately adjusted to her new life by making friends wherever she went. When she experienced a fall and subsequent hip surgery in Dec 2021, she once again took on this life challenge with resolve, hard work, a positive attitude and humor, qualities with which she approached life’s hurdles. Once she settled in to a new life in Assisted Living at The Gallery, she quickly developed friendships with other residents, her caregivers, and staff, making everyone feel welcome and included. She loved participating in all the activities, parties, happy hours, and planned outings for shopping, dining, and entertainment. To say she lived everyday to the fullest would be an understatement.

Salwa cherished the friendships with which she was blessed throughout her life. She was a devoted, loving, compassionate, kind-hearted, and loyal friend bringing a good laugh with her witty sense of humor and support with her warmth and acceptance. She loved the special times shared, no matter the occasion, always having a fresh cup of Arabic coffee/tea and Meza nibbles at the ready. She never failed to remember a friend’s birthday, special holiday, or occasion, sending a card with a personal hand-written note. Her generous spirit, light, love and kindness affected everyone around her.

The greatest joys of her life were spending time with her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and the four-legged family members. She was always there to support her family, through many births, deaths, life transitions and even the mundane, bestowing on them unconditional love, grace and acceptance. Her happiest times were spent in the kitchen, either cooking for her loved ones or sharing her recipes, techniques, and traditions. She also had a fun-loving and comical side, always a good sport, no matter the occasion or circumstance. She could laugh freely at herself! She was a fierce competitor when playing card games with her family, which she loved to do! She loved to win and pouted when she didn’t, blaming the cards for not going her way! But, in the end, she was always her gracious self, and happily congratulated the winner! She’d say, “There’s always the next time!”

Salwa is survived by her four daughters: Gilda (Ron) Reynolds, Grace (Dwight) Tuck, Guana Skaife, and Greta (Steve) Zamboni. She is also survived by her six grandchildren: Dunya (Steve) Riechelson, Monica Reynolds, Jonathan (Jei) Reynolds, Sharif Zawaideh, Nadya (Tisha) Zawaideh, and Lucas Schurter. Additionally, Salwa leaves behind her three great-

grandchildren: Austin Riechelson, Lillian Riechelson, and Ruby Schurter. Salwa is also survived by many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Salwa was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Fuad Salim Maayeh, daughter Gayle Zawaideh, brother Maurice Berbary, sisters, Eva Berbary and Laura Attieh, and parents Shehadi and Marie Berbary.

At this time, there are no memorial services scheduled. However, a Celebration of Salwa’s Life will be held in Seattle, WA in the Summer of 2024. Details of the Celebration will be posted at a later date on Salwa’s Memorial Page at dignitymemorial.com.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center, or a charity of your choice, in Salwa’s memory.