“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die”
Souraya Fahmy Ghobrial was born in Cairo, Egypt on August 19, 1929. After 91 wonderful years, she passed peacefully on October 26, 2020 in Houston, Texas.
Souraya was the loving mother of Dr. Rafik Mark Ghobrial (wife Kathryn) of Houston, Tx and Sherif Ghobrial of Cairo, Egypt. She is survived by her children and Hani Michel (Nephew) of Austin, and Elaine Michel (Niece) of Cairo, Egypt. She was the wife of the late Roushdy Melek Ghobrial and the grandmother of Katrine Ghobrial. Souraya was the youngest of five late children and daughter of the late Elaine Toma Gobran and Abdel Mesih Fahmy.
Souraya graduated from the American College for Girls, a trilingual missionary school founded by the United Presbyterian Church of America. During Junior College, she was the captain of the basketball team in the YMCA and a member of the national team. She started her work career in Metro-Golden-Mayer, then the American Embassy in Egypt, and completed it working at the Arab African Bank. Upon moving to the US, she continued to work until retirement, and never missed a day of work in her life. Her beauty and elegance were only matched by her devotion and kindness. In retirement, she proudly volunteered at UCLA hospital.
A committed and a loving mother, she raised two ambitious sons. The brightest days of Souraya’s life were the birth and baptism of her granddaughter. She loved the name “Teta” (which means Grandmother in Arabic) that was given to her by her granddaughter Katey and she became Teta to so many friends and family. She cherished going to church and taking her granddaughter to Sunday school. Watching sports, daily readings of the newspaper, working on jigsaw puzzles with her daughter in law who she loved, and enjoying afternoon Turkish coffee with friends were her favorite pastimes. As a Christian, prayer and going to church brought her great peace and comfort. Sweet sorrow to see her gone, yet a blessing that there is no more suffering. May God rest her soul.
The funeral prayers will be held in St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church, 424 Mulberry Ln, Bellaire, TX, on Monday November 2nd at 11:00 – 12:00 and at 1:00 pm at Memorial Oaks Cemetery. Please note that due to the pandemic, masks will be required during the service. The family requests not to send flowers, instead donations can be made in Souraya's name to St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Church: www.saintmarkhouston.org
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