Salwa 'Sally' Yazbeck

Obituary for Salwa (Sally) Maatouk Yazbeck - The Hat Lady! (November 2, 1928 - February 29, 2024) The family of the legendary Sally Yazbeck is saddened to announce that after a long and healthy life, Sally has left this earthly realm, due to natural causes, and has gone to meet her Lord and Maker. Sally is predeceased by her husband James T. Yazbeck Sr., James’ 9 siblings, and his parents Anna and Latouf Yazbeck. Sally will be greatly missed by her children John (Payton Kennedy), Rose-Marie (Tim Gielen), James Jr., Elizabeth (John Paul Oliveira), and Odette (Tom Kuchyt), and her surviving sister Samia (Marie) Maatouk in Lebanon. Predeceased by her parents Rose and Michael Maatouk, brothers Joe, George, Emile and John Maatouk and her sister Theresa Doyle. Sally was a shining force in the lives of her grandchildren Jessica Vyvey (Shawn), Bailey Johnston (Stefan), Chet Kuchyt (Tammy), Colby Johnston (Gilson), Sarah Kuchyt (Natale), Zoe Pritchard (Jean Sabastien) (and Zoe’s mom Wendy), Brenner (his mom Heidi), James Gielen (Rachel) and Yola Yazbeck (and her mom Nicole), and will be missed by the greats: Brock (Mya), Colette, and Milana. She was a special step gran to Cory Oliveira (Elicia) and their children, Cassie Andrews (Kevin) and their children, and Dylan Oliveira. Alex, Kailey, and Lilly also cherished Sally! Sally’s children would like to invite you for visitation at the Haycock-Cavanagh Funeral Home, 409 Nelson Street in Wallaceburg (519-627-3231), on Friday, March 8, 2024 from 4-8pm. Her Funeral Mass of the Resurrection will be held at Our Lady Help of Christians Church on Saturday, March 9, 2024 at 11am. Followed by burial beside her beloved husband at Riverview Cemetery and a Communal Meal at the Cavanagh Reception Centre. A special thanks for the kind, professional and compassionate care Sally received from all the staff at the Oaks Retirement Village, and in her final days at the Chatham Kent Health Alliance – Emergency and 2nd and 3rd floor teams. If you wish to make a donation in Sally’s memory, please consider the Wallaceburg St Vincent de Paul or The Canadian Red Cross, Lebanon Humanitarian Needs. Cherished stories and tributes may be left for the family at www.CavanaghFuneralHome.ca Sally's Story Born November 2, 1928 in the town of Kfar Yachit in the country of Lebanon. Salwa died of natural causes after a long and healthy life on February 29, 2024. The eldest daughter of 7 children, she adored her brothers Joseph, George, Emile and John, and was best friends with her sisters Theresa and Samia. Growing up in a country rife with civil unrest and under poor conditions taught Salwa all she needed to survive and then thrive when in 1956 at the age of 25 she decided to immigrate to Canada on her own. With the help of her friends Olga, and mentor Odette, she prepared her trousseau and set forth, saying goodbye to her mother Rose (Wardeh), and her father Michael. Arriving in Chatham Ontario to the care and comfort of her cousin Beatrice, she served as a nanny to Tom and Bea Toma’s large brood of children and formed a bond with her young charges that was maintained over her lifetime. Even before she fully grasped the complexities of the English language, Salwa was gainfully employed at St. Joseph Hospital and the Lloyd Bag Company of Chatham. To her delight, Salwa was also joined in Chatham by her sister Theresa and briefly by her brothers Joe and John. The Lebanese community in Chatham was small in the 1950’s and ‘60’s, so it didn’t take long before word got out that a young beauty from the Old Country was in town – the hopefuls began to gather, and lucky for us all, Salwa met her beloved Jimmy! Soon to be known as “Sally”, her new married life in Wallaceburg quickly became full and busy. She set up their new home in the VLA, formed steadfast friendships with neighbours on Walnut Drive and in a yearly succession gave birth to John, Rose-Marie, James Jr., Elizabeth and Odette. Holding firm to her old-world Middle East traditions, while also assimilating to Canadian culture, Sally was soon a vibrant part of her community in Wallaceburg. Her cooking fast became the stuff of legend to her many friends and neighbours, and her volunteer work at her children’s school and at her church was a welcomed and important part of her life. Taking on roles at Meals on Wheels was just the tip of the iceberg in Sally’s arsenal of loving care that she showered upon anyone who met her. Along with her role as wife and mother, Sally also worked as a seamstress for Powers Cleaners, downtown ladies clothing store Fashions and at the Wallaceburg Hospital. She could also be found in the tomato fields, hunched over for hours, picking more baskets alone in a day than her 5 kids put together! Sally also provided daily in-home personal support care for many years with love and reverence to her aging mother-in-law Hanna Yazbeck. Her husband Jimmy often lamented that his father Latouf never had the privilege of knowing his amazing Sally! And in her spare time, she cherished her adventures downtown with her darling sister-in-law Germaine and sweet friend Annie. Family - and all that entailed - was paramount to Sally. Regular visits to Jimmy’s family in the border towns of Michigan were a regular routine. Visiting Jimmy’s sisters Adele and Josephine, or brothers Simon, Joe and Paul were always an adventure. She also loved her visits to Ohio to visit brother-in-law John and his darling wife Dorothy! Sally showered all the Yazbecks with individual attention and love - most especially Eddie and Charlie in Wallaceburg with her gifts of home cooked meals delivered personally on regular occasions. She loved all her many nieces and nephews with a detailed affection and was always curious and concerned for each and every one of them. Trips to Quebec to stay connected to the beautiful sister-in-law Helen and her family gave Sally a particular joy. Of course, a visit to Michigan had to include Salwa’s feisty Aunt Marie and her 21 - well, actually only 14 - children! As busy as she was, Sally always found time for her cherished sister Theresa. Their bond was intense. Daily phone calls, family camping trips, weekend visits and holiday dinners, a short stint living under the same roof and a legendary trip to Cape Cod – life was only complete if it included the Doyle’s. She held a special place in her heart for Agnes (Mary Lou) Theresa, Leo and Paul and their amazing spouses. And to be sure, there was more than enough room in that enormous heart of Sally’s for her kid sister Samia, whom she welcomed into her home when a short visit turned into a 20-year stay! Sally never forgot her beloved family in Lebanon, making a few trips home as time and finances would allow, and sending monetary gifts of support to her mother and other family members often. Her heart ached to be separated from her mother, and she was broken hearted to miss out on the daily lives, and passings, of her mother, father, and brothers. It filled her heart with joy when some of her nieces and nephews from Lebanon began to emigrate and called Canada home! Sally’s ability to pivot was extraordinary - pulling a gourmet meal together in a matter of minutes for unexpected visitors, dealing with accidents or messes, being lost or marooned in foreign countries. Her adventurous spirit led her to meet new people, form strong friendships and create bonds with relative strangers. She loved to travel - whether it was a simple camping adventure, a group bus trip, an Alaskan cruise, or a stopover enroute to her beloved Lebanon, mom encouraged us all to seek out adventures in places unfamiliar and to meet new people from different parts of the world. When Sally became a Sitta (grandmother), the world tipped on its axis just a little differently. Starting with Jessica, she became even more loving, way more patient, and a lot more fun. With the arrival of Bailey, then her grandson Chet, followed by Colby, then Sarah, Zoe then Brenner, James, great-grandson Brock and finally Yola, her world was complete and her blessings many. In her stately role, she saw all that was good in the world through these precious off-spring. She made equal time for all of them - even those that lived further away, and while she loved them all equally, she made each of them feel unique and extraordinary in her eyes. Sally loved her great and grandkids’ partners (Shawn, Stefan, Gilson, Tammy, Natale, Jean Sabastien, Rachel, and Mya too!) Being a step-Sitta to Cory, Elicia (and their kids), Dylan, Cassie, Kevin (and their kids) along with Alex, Kailey and Lilly was also a deep pleasure for Sally. We know she would have fallen all over babies Colette and Milana too! Sally’s parental trademark was affording each of her 5 children equal support - what she did for one, she made sure to do for the others. This kind of care set forth a bond between her children that will live on forever. She was also deeply proud of her sons and daughters-in-law and was grateful for their love. Her acts of charity, her ability to connect with everyone, her drive and determination live on in all of us - and they spill over to everyone who was lucky enough to know her. Sally was a “doer”. She never said “Let me know if you need anything”. She intuitively saw what was needed and jumped into action, cooking, cleaning, caring for - whatever it took to bring respite for not only those she loved, but for anyone who seemed to need it. There were times when life seemed a very serious business for Sally, yet she often found time to laugh. She loved those network TV comedies, British TV shows of the ‘60’s and her daytime “Stories”, but it was her Jimmy who could get her laughing - and yelling - like nobody else. And speaking of Jimmy. I tried very hard to make this story all about Sally. But her story is not complete without including the great love of her life, James T Yazbeck Sr. He was the quiet, unassuming yin to her fierce, strong, exuberant yang. He knew enough to go along with her plans, supported her vision for their future, loved her unconditionally, and got in line when it was time for her to keep him alive! He kept her humble and gave her the strength to carry on, even when he left her 10 years ago to soar on her own. They balanced each other out and created a love story for the ages. We should all be so lucky to find a life partner like they had in each other. She was brave, unafraid, fierce and true to her convictions - even when those convictions were out of fashion. She was a woman of deep faith - she loved her Church and her God, even when it appeared they didn’t deserve it. She was loyal - unless you messed with her family, in which case she would attack with the ferocity of a lioness. She was sometimes quick to anger, but even quicker to forgive. Above all, she was curious. For a woman with zero formal education, who struggled to read and write English, she was always wanting to learn, willing to try new ways - but also adamant that her way was the right way! Lol She was our rock, our guiding light, though we are not left adrift nor in the dark, because her love shines on, ALWAYS.