Samir Gharbo

1925 - 2018

Gharbo, Samir
1925 - 2018
Samir Ahmed Gharbo, loving husband, father, and grandfather, passed away peacefully Tuesday, April 10, 2018 at Wesley Glen Health Care Center at the age of 93. He was born March 13, 1925, in Suez, Egypt to parents Ahmed and Hekmat Gharbo. Samir is survived by wife and best friend of 56 1/2 years, Christa Roth Gharbo of Germany; sons, Samy (Christy) of North Carolina and Raouf (Tracy) of Virginia; grandchildren, Alexandria, Melina, and Maxwell; brother, Wafik (Monique) of Switzerland; nephews, Shereef (Wafaa), and Rashid (Anita); niece, Hala (Gamal) of Egypt; and sister-in-law, Helga Bartenstein of Germany; and many relatives and friends. Samir is preceded in death by his parents, brothers Raouf and Hakky, sister Ulfat, sister-in-law Zeinab, niece Amira and nephew Ahmed. Samir received B.S. degrees in Agriculture and Pharmacy from Cairo University, a Ph.D. in Pharmacy from the University of Graz, Austria. He served in the Medical Corps of the Egyptian Army. Dr. Gharbo was a professor in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Alexandria, Egypt, where he authored many scientific publications. He accepted post-doctorate research positions at The Ohio State University with the esteemed late Professor Jack L. Beal in 1961 and 1969. He retired from the University of Alexandria in 1972. In Columbus, Samir was employed as a Research Scientist and Manager of Research with Warren-Teed Pharmaceuticals, Consolidated Biomedical Laboratories (CBL), and Adria Pharmaceuticals. After he retired in 1992, Dr. Gharbo served as an adjunct professor of chemistry at Ohio Dominican College and Columbus State Community College (CSCC), where he received the Distinguished Teaching Award in 1997, retiring from teaching in 2010. He served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Islamic Foundation of Central Ohio and was a founder of both the Islamic Association of Mid-Kansas and the Muslim Student Association of CSCC. He also was a member of the Islamic Society of Greater Columbus, the Islamic Society of Central Ohio, the Al-Noor Islamic Cultural Center of Hilliard, and a supporter of CAIR Ohio. He is the author of the book "Is Allah God?" and the brochure "Islam at a Glance". Dr. Gharbo had a life-long passion for international peace and understanding. He was actively involved with many international students and organizations; he was one of the original members of Central Ohioans for Peace. As a member of the Egyptian water polo team, Samir represented Egypt in 63 international water polo matches including the Olympic Games in London, 1948, Helsinki, 1952, and Rome, 1960. In the 1980s he served as a volunteer coach of the OSU water polo team. He enjoyed his fellow bridge partners at the Griswold Senior Center in Worthington. Janaza prayer will be at 2 pm Friday, April 13, 2018 at the SCHOEDINGER WORTHINGTON CHAPEL, 6699 N. High Street, Worthington and burial will immediately follow at Union Cemetery. Friends may call 2-5 pm Saturday, April 14, 2018 at the SCHOEDINGER WORTHINGTON CHAPEL to visit with the family and share stories. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Mid-Ohio Food Bank, 3960 Brookham Dr., Grove City, Ohio 43123 (614-274-7770) or CAIR Columbus Chapter, 4242 Tuller Rd., Suite B2, Dublin, Ohio 43017 (614-451-32320). Please visit www.schoedinger.com to share a favorite memory of Samir.