It is with great sadness I write this.   I think of picking up the phone to call you to see how you're doing, to ask for a recipe or to invite you for coffee.  We drank the coffee the same way.  You were a sister, friend and mentor.   You were a true warrior, a rock, a hero.  You gave your family the best and stayed strong throughout.   You'll always be in our minds and hearts.  May you rest in peace dearest Jaco.  

There is no greater sorrow than losing you, Mama. And as I grieve you, I grieve the child within me—for we are only ever children beneath the boundless mercy of our mothers’ love.

You were our rock in every storm, the quiet force that held us together when we did not know we were falling apart. You used to say, " بحبك يا سواري بس مثل زندي لأ"—“I love my bracelet, but not as much as I love my arm”—reminding us that we were never separate from you, but a living part of you. And so you remain, forever within us… in every breath, every memory, every heartbeat.

You have left behind an emptiness too vast for words—a silent horizon that stretches farther with each passing day. A space shaped only like you, that nothing in this world can fill.

And yet, somewhere within this grief, there is a quiet mercy. I did not lose you all at once. I have been losing you slowly, gently, over these past two years—like a rose letting go of its petals, one by one. I watched you drift beyond my reach, like a soft light dimming into the night, as this cruel illness touched your body but never the beauty of your soul.

Now, I hold onto faith—

أنكِ في مكانٍ أجمل، كاملةٌ كما كنتِ دائمًا في قلبي

—that you are in a more beautiful place, whole as you have always been in my heart.

Rest in peace, my beloved Mama.

نامي بسلام يا أمي الغالية

Until we meet again.

My Hero, my Giant of a human being my sister, second mother, my everything.

There’s so much to say and feel with so many words , yet it’ll never be enough.

No description or explanation would even start to form an idea what she was, to each and every one of us she was an expert in something , but for us all she was the love gate keeper.

Being her little brother even at 64 years old now I had always felt like a kid especially when she called me “ Habib roohy “ ( lover of my soul) that alone had melted my heart into liquid in my chest.

I loved when she came to Canada with her family as it gave me the chance to help her set up and show her what I can do for them  as her younger brother  , only for her and the family to go back to Lebanon then come back with a gift called Wassim.

My sister Jacqueline loved all her children but wassim needed her more than most and the dedication she provided made Wassim’s excel personally and academically.

Wassim was the life line for my sister and she was his, yet he is so smart and loving that he knows it and keep her good memories live in his head and heart.

My cousins from all over the world call to ask my sister’s opinion whether it’s a recipe, a life advice or simply to hear her voice and get inspired.

I am sad for her absence and I will be for a longtime , she left a HUGE hole in our daily life that NO one can fill, but very grateful to all the stories, laughter and love we shared.

I am thankful that my sister Gilla spent lots of time daily with her , they were best Sisters best friends and grateful to have one left.

Witnessing my last 3 siblings ( out of 4) leave this earth and seeing them at peace at that time  gives me hope when time comes for me, all 3 were ready, they fulfilled what they came for and looking for the next stage, it shines a bright light on my next life perhaps, something that they knew and that we know nothing about, whatever it is I will be looking forward to see them all with open arms and be with them all again .

There’s a little piece of Jacqueline in all of us, her kids, mine, my sister’s kid and my brother’s kids, how wonderful that she gifted us that short time with maximum love and stories to tell for years to come.

Until we meet her and the rest again, stay loving, stay humble and most importantly keep telling the stories in our gatherings and Eids , after all that precisely what Jaco want us to do.

Fady ( AKA Habib roohik)

Aunt Jaqo reading my coffee cup.

My beautiful aunt Jaqo. I'm so lucky to have had you in my life and will always remember you as an inspiration and someone who I admire for your strength, wisdom and sense of humor. One of my earliest memories was waking up in my bed on Arthur St. and sleeping next to me were two new faces, one on the left and one on the right. Ghada and Faten. Before these two woke up, I ran down the stairs to ask my parents why they didn't brief me the day before, but I was 5, so I guess I didn't get the memo. I will never forget seeing you in my living room, arms wide open with a big smile on your face. I felt loved by someone I had only just met. I didn't know it then, but that was only the beginning of a very wonderful lifetime of sharing beautiful moments, coffee and basarring, sharing recipes and stories, parties, travels and French. Few of my favorite memories; you were my childhood Arabi school teacher. You let me eat gum in class and that was awesome. You taught us a dance to Remi Bandalis song "ne7na lrabi3" and let me be 1st up on stage. You made me feel like the lucky girl. After Arabi school we would go to your house and all of us kids would be playing in the basement, you'd call me up to give me some kind of treat and told me not to tell anyone else. You made me feel like the special girl. Picnics, dinners, Christmas, more Arabi school, and then you moved back to Lebanon. A few years later you came back to Canada with Wassouma. I'll always remember that trip to London for Leila's wedding, it was an official Assaad family convoy. We had fun. You were also my French tutor preparing me for second language exams for work, the coffee and visiting part was my favorite. In 2006, we stayed at your house in Lebanon, and although I had only packed my revealing Beirut attire, you told me to wear my short denim skirt and not care what anyone thought. I shamelessly wore that skirt all over town because my aunt Jaqo said I could.  You gave me permission to be me. Your Saturday night parties were so spectacular that Remi would wear her fanciest dress and look forward to going over all week. When my parents said it was time to go she would say, "but they're still open!" You made her childhood and all our childhoods. You made our lifetime so much sweeter. I love how we got to have you with us for the ride. We will miss you so much. We will see you when we all go home to heaven. Love you aunt Jaqo.  

Oh mom, where do I even begin? It was on Tuesday April 22 1997 that you gave birth to me, your youngest child. Over the course of the next 28 (almost 29) years, I had the pleasure, honour, and privilege of calling you my mother. During this time, you got to see me grow and develop into the young man I am today. I also had to watch you fight countless illnesses and injuries over the years. I got to see you become a proud cerebral aneurysm survivor. This is something that I bet a one in a million people can say. I thank God that the aneurysm didn't take you when I was three years old. If it had, you wouldn't have gotten to see me grow up, and I would have never known what it would have been like to have a mother. It was because the aneurysm didn't take you when I was three that the family got to have another absolutely wonderful, amazing, 25 years with you. During this time, you were blessed with five children, and eight beautiful grandchildren. You helped me with Math from when I was in elementary school, all the way up until; I was in Grade 12. This is something that I will forever be grateful for. You also blessed me with so many wonderful memories that I will cherish forever. I will never forget that one week vacation we took to Florida from July 3-10 back in the year 2013. Also, how could anyone ever forget all those trips that we took to Lebanon over the years? You weren't just the closest person to me in the world, you were the absolute world to me. You were the biggest support system in my life, and you meant everything to me. You were the best mother in the whole world, and I will miss you everyday. As sad as I am that you are gone, I know that you are now with God and Jesus, and you are no longer suffering. I know that you are breathing freely, without any issues now. I know that you have been reunited and are now catching up with your parents, Uncle Joe, Uncle Jihad, and Uncle Michel. You are gone in body, but not in spirit, and you will never be truly gone. We will always keep you alive in our hearts and in our memories. I know that we will be reunited in Heaven someday. Rest in peace, love you forever.

Your son,

Wassim