Tributes

Ablahad was born on September 16, 1925 in Mosul, Iraq to his parents Zarefa Petros and Lazar Samano. He was the oldest of 9 children, 5 brothers and 4 sisters. In 1940 his family moved to Kirkuk, Iraq, where he completed his high school degree. He was a very active member of the Assyrian community in Kirkuk. He volunteered his time for the Assyrian school where he served on the committee that helped establish the school. He and his band played music, he served as an MC for events, and helped rebuild parts of the school. He married Almas Oshalim Sarkis on October 13, 1955 in Kirkuk, Iraq. He had 3 children (Linda, Albert, Edmond), 5 grandchildren (Shameram, Ashur, Andrea, Alex, Sarah), and 1 great grandchild (Miabella). He worked for the Iraqi Petroleum Company (IPC) as an accountant until his retirement in 1978. He obtained multiple accounting degrees as he continued to grow in his field. In 1982 he moved to Modesto, California where he bought a home and established a convenience store until 1993. His passion for serving his church and community lead him to sit on the advisory committee for the Church of the East Diocese of California. In 2005 he lost the love of his life, Almas, to cancer. He continued to dedicate all his time for enjoying his children and their families. He was a big advocate for education and constantly encouraged his grandchildren to continue learning and finish college. In 2021, at the age of 96, he was diagnosed with cancer. His fighting spirit and with the help of God and his family, he survived surgery to be able to see and hold his Great Granddaughter. He worked hard to recover from surgery and continued to enjoy his time with his loved ones. At the age of 97 Ablahad took his last breath on earth and went home to be with the Lord. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren who cared and loved him very much. His advice, love, and fun nature will be missed greatly by his family and everyone who knew him. ______________________________________________________________________________ Family requests that a donation be made to St. Jude in lieu of flowers using this link: https://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/GiftFunds/GiftFunds?px=7875664&pg=personal&fr_id=39300

Tributes

Ablahad L. Samano

September 16, 1925 - February 13, 2023