Samir H. Handal

Samir Hanna Salim Francis Handal, 73, of Totowa, New Jersey passed away on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. Born in Bethlehem, Palestine, Samir was a loving and caring husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend. Beloved husband of Vida Handal. Loving father of Sanielle & her husband Patrick McGlynn, John & his wife Sara Brandsema, and Kristina & her husband Jim Coe. Adored grandfather of Alia, Maggie, Theodora and Gabriel. Dear brother of Suad, Assad, Issa, and the late Salim and George.

As a young man, he left Bethlehem to work with his brother in Abu Dhabi. He met his future wife, Vida, in Bethlehem during one of his many returns home. They fell in love and were married in the Church of the Nativity within one month. After marrying, they lived in Abu Dhabi and soon after moved to North Arlington, New Jersey. There they opened a Carvel Ice Cream store. In 1989, they decided to move their family to San Pedro Sula, Honduras where he and his brothers founded and operated an ice cream business. In 1999, Samir and Vida moved their family to Totowa, New Jersey where they have resided since.

While he lived most of his adult life abroad, he was a true son of Bethlehem, where his heart remained. He lived from and for the land. He loved nature and creation. He was a talented craftsman and learned the centuries old trade of carving religious icons out of olive wood, taught himself oil painting and how to play the oud.

Samir believed in the power of natural home remedies with many friends and family members flocking to him for his recipes. He was considered the sage of his family, compassionate and gentle, yet firm and grounded in his beliefs. He often placed the needs of others before his own, and was available to his loved ones without hesitation during their most trying times. He was a man of strong and unwavering faith. It was, without doubt, this which carried him through lifes toughest moments.

His passion for cooking, feeding others, and his garden ran deep and were sources of his happiness. In recent years though, his true joy in life was spending time with his four grandchildren, each of whom had their own special bond with him.

A Funeral Mass will be offered on Monday, May 1, 2023 at 10:00 am at Our Lady of Pompeii, 154 Caldwell Avenue, Paterson, NJ. Following mass, Samir will be laid to rest at Laurel Grove Cemetery in Totowa. Visitation with the family will be held at Ippolito-Stellato Funeral Home, 7 Bridges Road, Fairfeid, NJ on Sunday, April 30 from 2:00 - 6:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers please consider a gift to:

Bethlehem Association
Scholarship Fund
PO Box 1111
Media, PA 19063
Please make check to Bethlehem Association Scholarship Fund. In memo line of check please write "In memory of Samir Handal."




Cemetery
Laurel Grove Cemetery
295 Totowa Rd
Totowa NJ
US


Visitation
Sunday, April 30, 2023
2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Ippolito-Stellato Funeral Home - Fairfield
7 Two Bridges Road
Fairfield NJ 07004
US
(973) 882-5588


Burial
Monday, May 1, 2023

Laurel Grove Cemetery
295 Totowa Rd
Totowa NJ
US


Funeral Mass
Monday, May 1, 2023
10:00 AM -
Our Lady of Pompei
70 Murray Avenue
Paterson NJ 07501
US


Funeral HomeIppolito-Stellato Funeral Home - Fairfield
7 Two Bridges Road
Fairfield NJ - 07004
US
(973) 882-5588