Georgette Fouad Awad Kevorkian
Fortified with the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church, Entered Into Rest at the age of 88, Sunday, January 5, 2025. Beloved wife of the late Thomas Hovsep Kevorkian. Dear mother of Daisy Kevorkian and Rafi (Elssy Raya) Kevorkian. Loving Grandmother of Royce Raja Williams, Jr., Gabriel Kevorkian, and Marielle Kevorkian. Sister to the late Alice Ghazarian (nee Awad), the late Elias Awad, the late Amin Awad, the late Emil Awad, the late Salwa Abi-chedid (nee Awad) and the late George Awad. Daughter-in-law to Hovsep Kevorkian and Karimeh Kevorkian (nee Thome). Cousin and friend to many.
Our beloved mother was born on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1936, in Aley, Lebanon to her beloved parents Fouad Awad, and Helena Awad (nee Baramili). She was a blessing and a Christmas gift to her family.
Georgette was a strong-willed person who took it upon herself to make sure others were taken care of. She lived a life full of intrigue with the ups and downs that life can bring. She was a great woman of faith, a trend setter, stylish, classy, a great cook and all were welcomed and would be invited to share in a meal, snack, coffee or tea when they visited. She was a social butterfly and loved to throw parties and gatherings. She completed her high school studies and received an award for being the top in the nation on her college entrance exam. She then went to the university to become a math and biology teacher. While studying, many of her classmates would come to her to help them solve their difficult math problems. She was best friends with the sister of the iconic Lebanese singer Sabah. As she completed her studies, she moved to Baghdad, Iraq to live with her eldest sister who was married at the time to Yacoub Abrahamian. Dr. Abrahamian taught her how to drive at the early age of 16 and she took pride in driving safely for many years, even teaching dad how to drive after they met. She taught at one of the local schools in Baghdad. With the overthrow of the Iraqi Monarchy in 1958, and the advent of the Socialist revolution she returned to Lebanon with her sister and husband. She continued teaching at one of the local schools in Beit-Mary, Lebanon. She was enjoyed travelling and visited many places including the holy land.
As the story goes, her brother Emil was visiting from Brazil with a suitor for her, but she was friends with our dad’s sister Mary who had told her that there was an upcoming engagement party for our uncle Abraham’s sister-in-law. She had gone to an Astrologer who told her that the stars and planets were aligned as such that she would meet her soulmate at this event. Low and behold, she met our father Thomas at this event and soon after their engagement she married the love of her life. Their love story lasted for 56 years. In 1972, our father moved to Kuwait to build the international airport of Kuwait. He had previously built the palace of the Emir of Kuwait in the late 1950’s. While there, she taught at the Armenian school and won the best teacher award for her services in 1978. At that time not many women worked outside the home, but teaching allowed her to do what she loved best, caring for others, teaching young minds while caring for her young children. Our dad would teach her an Armenian lesson and she in return would teach us. She even got to meet some of her students in later years who raved about her. Subsequently our family moved to Brazil and then to Saint Louis on April 4,1980, nearly 45 years ago. In St. Louis, she became a medical assistant and went to nursing school at Maryville University to become an LPN. She worked at the Mari De Villa Retirement center for 36 years where she lovingly cared for the elderly. It was her home away from home. She took great love, pride, care, and joy in her work. She worked long hours 12-hour shifts; sometimes for 14 days straight to make sure that our family was blessed and well taken care of.
She instilled the ethic of prayer, family and work. She helped many people find work and helped them network with others so that they could achieve their goals. As our father used to say, “if there was a dead tree, I would cut it and make something useful out of it such a cabinet, or a chair, or a desk. After all, the tree is dead. On the other hand, your mother would pray the Rosary as often as she needed to, to make the tree become alive again.” One of our friends, Mr. William Halliburton used to describe our mom’s work ethic as a big steam roller. You better not get in her way with patient care. She will do what is right and whatever was needed to make her patients better. Family members would often return to thank her for lovingly caring for their loved ones.
She endured many years of being a Type II Diabetic and eventually developed renal failure and was receiving dialysis the past 3 1/2 years. Losing the love of her life was very difficult on her and the past two years have been tough but she never complained and did her best to put a smile on her face. She put her make up and best foot forward despite the pain in her heart and her body. We were able to have one more blessed Christmas and Birthday with her which she celebrated with her dear friends and family. She passed away after a brief illness at the hospital on Armenian Christmas and the Feast of the Epiphany. The love of her life and our Merciful Lord came to take her to her eternal rest. She was Born on Christmas Eve and passed away on Armenian Christmas. The heavens left us with pure white snow just like her pure loving heart.
She will always be remembered as a free spirited, thoughtful, caring, kind individual who prayed the Rosary and offered her suffering to make everyone better. May our dear Lord grant you eternal rest and may His light shine upon you until we meet again.
Services: Visitation on Saturday, January 18 from 10:00 am until time of the funeral Mass 11:00 am at St. Raymond Maronite Cathedral, 931 Lebanon Dr. (63104). This will be followed by a mercy meal at the church hall. Interment PRIVATE. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Raymond Maronite Cathedral or St. Vincent de Paul Society. As a service of the Kriegshauser Brothers Funeral, Memorial and Cremation services, friends may sign the family’s on-line guestbook at https://k-brothers.com/obituaries
For those unable to attend on Saturday, Rafi Kevorkian’s house will be open from 3:00 to 8:00 pm on Sunday, January 19, 2025.
Condolences(8)-
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Previous Anne McMullen
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Julie says
January 17, 2025 at 4:06 pmSending you and your family love and peace, Daisy.
Bill Halliburton says
January 14, 2025 at 3:29 pmDear Daisy, Rafi, and Raja:
My Heart goes out to all of the Kevorkian Family.
Georgette was so much of a Caretaker and Love Sharer at Mari-De-Villa
to My Father, My Mother, and my Mother in Law and to my Wife Joan and I.
When they were Guest at Mri-De-Villa, Georgette was always available to check
on Progress of our Loved Ones, and at the Sunday Open Houses and Dining, Georgette and Tom and Daisy and Rafi were always there.
We shared friendships with our Medical Caretakers too, Dr. Birkle Eck and Dr. Austin Montgomery, as well as Georgette, and it was a Grand and Glorious gathering of Friends, more than Caretakers and Patients.
May God Bless and Keep You, and may His Countenance Shine Down upon You, and bring you Peace, Love, Joy, Kindness, Goodness,Faithfulness, Gentleness,and His Grace.
God’s Love Always has met, and always will met every Human Need. I know your Needs will be met, until you too join your Parents, in that House, not made with Hands, Eternal in the Heavens.
Love, a Special Way of Feeling.
Bill Halliburton
Debbie Schnuriger says
January 12, 2025 at 11:03 amI was sad to learn of your mother’s passing. She was an amazing woman, and I appreciate all the new things about her I learned in the obituary that was so lovingly written. It is clear how much she was loved and admired by her children and by all the people whose lives she touched. And now she is free to reunite with all those who have gone before her, especially your father. She was always very sweet to me and treated me like family. No one made Baklava like her! My heart is with you all during this very difficult time.
Daisy says
January 13, 2025 at 9:22 amThank you so much Debbie.
Nicole Crabtree says
January 12, 2025 at 8:13 amDaisy, Raja and Rafi so sorry for your loss of your mother. May her memory live on in your life’s and hearts forever. Prayers for you all during this time. Love Nicole Crabtree and family
Cinda Page says
January 12, 2025 at 8:09 amDaisy and Rafi ,
My heart goes out to you. Your mom was a joy to be around. I will always remember talking with your mom and dad. Their faith was grounded in God’s love. I know God has prepared a special place for them in heaven. Although, your hearts are sad and heavy. May Jesus carry you and wrap you in his loving arms through this period of grieving. May God shine his face upon you and give you peace.
mary denny says
January 12, 2025 at 7:51 amDear Rafi, Daisy and family, my heartfelt condolences on the passing of your mother. I always looked forward to seeing her at Liturgy on Sunday’s at ST Raymond’s Church. May her soul rest in peace and perpetual light shine upon her.
Jerry Kindell says
January 17, 2025 at 12:15 pmPraying for you Daisy during this time
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