Alethea George Shaheen, of Dalton, Georgia, passed away Thursday, December 1, 2016 at Hamilton Medical Center.
She was the daughter of the late Nezha and Yusuf Simaan George and the widow of Said Shaheen to whom she was married for 61 years. Her brother Joseph S. George and sister, Mary George preceded her in death.
Alethea was a native of Detroit, Michigan but moved at an early age to Washington D.C. which was her home until her marriage to Said Shaheen. When she moved to Dalton in 1947, the carpet industry was in its infancy, and she supported her husband in his work in the carpet business, where he was an industry leader. Alethea was first and foremost a devoted mother to their five children, but also a fabulous cook who wrote her own cookbook for her family, and enjoyed travel, gardening, ballet (which she took for years at the Creative Arts Guild), and keeping up with politics.
Alethea is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law, Norma and Essa Sackllah of Garden City, MI, Joyce and Roger Clem of Hixson, TN, Nancy Shaheen and Kenneth Grosso of Montclair, NJ; sons and daughters-in-law, Jim and Justine Shaheen, Frank and Teresa Shaheen all of Dalton; many grandchildren; a great-grandchild; and her sister, Josephine George Khan of Silver Springs, MD.
The last years of her life were made very, very happy by these wonderful grandchildren, Christian, Tess and Adam Shaheen, Laura, Jonathan and Matthew Shaheen, Michael Sackllah, Stephen Shaheen, Travis and his wife Ashley and daughter Carlee Clem, Katharine Clem, and Jeffrey and his wife Hannah Clem, whose wedding Alethea cheerfully attended at the end of October.
A special thank you to her wonderful caregivers, Nancy Edmond, Lettie Revel, Hildegard Hall, Ashley Cascella, Sandra Jones, Laurel Browning, Sarah Beth Osborne, Delores Rittenhouse, Becky Morrison, and Lynn Wilson.
Funeral services will be on Monday, Dec. 5 at noon at ChristChurch Presbyterian with Dr. Bill Dudley officiating. Interment will be in West Hill Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the church on Monday from 10:30 a.m. until the service at noon.
In lieu of flowers please send contributions to the American Federation of Ramallah Education Fund, 27484 Ann Arbor Trail, Westland, MI. 48185, or to AFRP Education Fund Secretary, P.O. Box 51265, Livonia, Michigan 48151.
Words of comfort may be sent to the family at www.lovefuneralhomega.com.
Love Funeral Home, 1402 N. Thornton Ave. Dalton is in charge of arrangements.