(August 4, 1928 – April 27, 2016)
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His faithful servants.” (Psalm 116:15)
Gloria Diane Farah Armistead, after a decade-long struggle with lymphocytic leukemia, peacefully fell asleep in our Lord Jesus Christ during the late evening of Wednesday, April 27, 2016, at the Good Life Senior Living Center in El Paso, Texas.
Gloria was born on August 4, 1928, in Beaumont, Texas. She was christened as Gloria Dian Farha, the spelling of her middle and last names later modified to “Diane” and “Farah.” She was the second youngest of six children born to Amelia and John Farah, Jr., who had emigrated to the U.S. from the port city of Tripoli, Lebanon.
Gloria graduated from Beaumont High School in 1945 and undertook additional studies at Angelo’s Business College in Beaumont, Texas.
In 1965, Gloria moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and began working at Louisiana State University. She remained at LSU for next 13-years. Her employment included serving as secretary to the Chair of LSU’s Department of Management, the late Dr. Raymond V. Lesikar.
Gloria left LSU when her younger brother Harry, who had established an architectural practice in El Paso, convinced Gloria and her older sister Yvonne to join him in El Paso. They both moved to El Paso in 1978.
In El Paso Gloria found employment at the University of Texas at El Paso where she worked as an Administrative Assistant in the UTEP’s Department of Economics and Finance under the direction of the Department Chair, Professor Timothy P. Roth. Dr. Roth described Gloria’s transition from LSU to UTEP as “seamless.” He noted that she cherished her ongoing relationship with the academic community, and that she appreciated the importance of the University’s, the College’s and the Department’s commitment to access and to excellence and, above all, to student success and faculty productivity. Gloria remained at UTEP for 24-years. Her institutional memory was a valued resource to other Administrative Assistants and faculty and, in general, to anyone interested in how to ‘get things done’ on the campus. Dr. Roth wrote that Gloria was, in the positive sense of the word, an “institution.” Gloria retired from UTEP in 2003.
Gloria’s retirement coincided with a period of declining health of her sister, Yvonne, with whom Gloria shared her residence. Gloria, always given to helping others, acted as Yvonne’s caretaker and thus enabled her sister to remain at home and live her remaining years in dignity. Yvonne passed away in February of 2005.
Gloria was a woman of faith. Prior to moving to El Paso, Gloria was an active member of Beaumont’s St. Michael Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church. She acquired an extensive knowledge of the liturgical services and took an active role in instructing many of the hymns and prayers of the Orthodox Christian faith. In addition to her involvement in the spiritual life of the church, Gloria also participated in the National Governing Conference. She had a special relationship with the clergy of the Archdiocese and was well-respected.
Upon moving to El Paso, Gloria joined Saint George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church. At St. George, she was involved in numerous organizations including the Society of Orthodox Youth Organizations (SOYO), the Saint George Ladies Society, and the Fellowship of St. John the Divine. For almost two decades, she served as a chanter and in the Church choir under the direction of her spiritual godson, Sub-deacon Michael Sifuentes. She also managed the Church Bookstore and, every May during the Church’s annual “Feast in the Middle East,” Gloria operated a concession booth selling books, icons and religious gifts. Over the last decade, Gloria’s declining health forced her to curtail her church activities, but her faith never wavered.
Gloria was a devoted daughter, sister, aunt, and godmother. She was preceded in death by her brothers Constantine, Emile, Ledor, and Harry, and by her sister Yvonne Farah; she is survived by her nephew Shaheen Farah and his wife Kerri of Beaumont, Texas, by her niece Amelia Lyons and her husband Gene of Odessa, Texas, and by two grandnieces, two grandnephews, two great grandnieces, and three great grandnephews.
Special recognition is due to Gloria’s close friend and guardian, Patty Chagra Russell, who acted as Gloria’s confidant, advocate, and frequent companion over the last few years. Special thanks are due to the loving and conscientious staff of Good Life Senior Living and to the compassionate staff of Hospice of El Paso for caring for Gloria during the last difficult part of her life.
A Trisagion Service will be held on Wednesday, May 4th at 7:00 p.m. at the Martin Funeral Home located at 128 North Resler Drive. Gloria’s funeral will be held on Thursday, May 5th at 10:00 a.m. at Saint George Antiochian Orthodox Church located at 120 North Festival Drive with the Reverend Father George M. Al-Dehneh officiating. Pallbearers are Richard Bruns, Esteban Escareño, Christopher Ferris, Ed Hamlyn, Gene Lyons, and Nabil Shaheen. Honorary pallbearers are Peter Boulware, Michael Albert Pacheco, and Alan Russell. Interment will follow at Evergreen Alameda Cemetery where Gloria will be laid to rest in the Farah Family Plot.
The family requests that expressions of sympathy take the form of contributions to Saint George Antiochian Orthodox Church. May her memory be eternal.
Services entrusted to Martin Funeral Home West, 128 North Resler Drive, El Paso, Texas
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