HARRIET UNES BOSTANY

BOSTANY, HARRIET UNES An excellent wife, a virtuous woman, Who can find her? For her worth is far above jewels Strength and dignity are her clothing . . . She rejoices in the future . . She looks well to the ways of her household . . . Her lamp does not go out at night Her children will rise up and call her blessed, Her husband also, and he will praise her saying Many daughters have done nobly and well, but you excel them all Proverbs 31 Age 83, beloved and adored Matriarch of the Bostany Family, passed away peacefully at her home on Monday evening, while dozens of loved ones surrounded her bed. Until the end, she remained a woman of strength and dignity. Her beauty and bearing were regal. Harriet reaped every ounce of life from a frail body ravaged by illness, to be with the family she loved so dearly. She rallied from near death five times in the last three years. She survived sepsis in August of 2011, giving all of us, family and friends, the gift of another year of precious life with this remarkable woman. Harriet was born and raised in Peoria, Illinois, the eldest of eight children born to Harry and Sadie Unes. She got her first job at the age of 13, selling notions at Newberry's Five and Dime. Later she worked at Caterpillar, and with the money she earned, bought her first car at the age of 16, without yet knowing how to drive. She was a strikingly beautiful young woman whose love of babies began when she helped care for her younger siblings After a two-year, long distance courtship conducted by mail and phone, Harriet married Fred Bostany in 1951and the two of them began their legendary life together. Harriet went to Birmingham as a bride of 21, with a promise from her husband to provide the two things she wanted most--a big family and a big kitchen. She got both. As the family grew, so did the table, and the kitchen was redone three times. Sixty-one years, nine children, 21 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, and many thousands of wonderful memories later, we must say good-bye to this amazing woman who leaves a legacy beyond measure, of love and family and faith. Her "extended family" was everyone she knew, especially those who were fortunate enough to eat at her table. Her gift was for mothering and nurture. Over the years, she lovingly cooked thousands of meals, for literally thousands of people. As a devout Catholic and woman of faith, Harriet served God through decades of membership in the Ladies Auxiliary and Altar Society at St. Elias Maronite Church. She was a member of the Cedars Phoenecian Club, and was well-known and loved throughout the Lebanese community in Birmingham. She will be remembered for her fierce devotion to family, her delicious Lebanese cooking, and for her rapid-fire, machine gun Sittee kisses, several kisses delivered in quick succession to any baby within reach. She loved her Tuesday night card games at the Cedar's Club, water aerobics at the Y, and Bingo any time. She loved going to a casino at least once a year to play the penny slots. Any day that brought her children or grandchildren home to visit or eat was a good day. That was every day. Harriet was predeceased by her parents, her sister Helen, and her brother Donnie, on whose birthday she died. She also was preceded in death by her beloved son Anthony, who was born and died on the same day in 1959, and with whom we know she is now rejoicing in their long-awaited reunion. Those left to mourn her passing and celebrate her life, to cherish her memory and remember her forever are her grateful, devoted husband Fred, her children Gary, Judy, Renee, Dianne, Dolores, Yvonne, Danny and JoAnne, daughter-in-law Pal, sons-in-law Tony, Sam, Bob, Richard, and Mark, grandchildren Zana, Leila, Khalil, Emile, Jamil, Erik, Mariah, Jon David, Andrew, Marcus, Monica, Marian, Michael, Kathleen, Peter, Annabeth, Leah, Evelyn, Anthony, Olivia, and Melissa, great-grandchildren Emma, Molly, Adalyn, Ethan, Emily, Ella, Piper, Alex and Brady, grandsons-in-law Jimmy, Ryan, Josh, Andrew, Willie, granddaughters-in-law Lori and Emily, siblings Lorraine, Larry, Leonard, Norma, Ken, and Dave, brothers-in-law George, and Maury, sisters-in-law Bee, Patti, Carol, Eileen, Marie, and Sue, dozens and dozens of nieces and nephews and cousins, and hundreds of friends too numerous to mention. Harriet loved being a mother, but she reveled in the role of grandmother. She was the ultimate Sittee, rejoicing in the birth of each new baby, as if it were the first. She was a woman of exceptional character and she led an exemplary life. To all of us, she is a blessed mother. The family is forever indebted and eternally grateful to Hospice for providing the way for our loved one to die at home. Special thanks must go to her caregivers Bobbi Cheatham and Adell Webb, who ministered to her in the most loving manner and whose gentle, compassionate care gave her quality of life up to the end. Visitation was Thursday, September 27, from 5 - 7 p.m. at St. Elias Maronite Church, 836 8th St. So. Incense Service began at 7 p.m. Funeral Mass was held at the Church on Friday, September 28, at 10:00 a. m. with burial at Elmwood Cemetery. Chor-Bishop Richard Saad, who was like another son to Harriet, will officiate.>