Adly Sabet Girgis

1927 - 2017

Adly Sabet Girgis passed away into the loving arms of Jesus on May 12, 2017. Adly was born in Cairo, Egypt on Jan. 20, 1927. He was the oldest of four children born to Matilda Ibrahim and Sabet Girgis. His father passed away when he was 8 years old, so he had to take on the responsibility of providing for his mother and siblings at an early age. The YMCA in Cairo, and its youth programs became a large part of his childhood.

As a young adult he discovered theatre and began to participate in plays and write scripts and screenplays. He graduated from Cairo University in the late 1940s.

Adly and his wife, Nadia W. Girgis immigrated to the United States in 1969, seeking the American dream of freedom and opportunity for their daughters. An educator most of his life, Adly taught English as a foreign language in Egypt and the Sudan, and upon settling in the U.S., he began a career teaching English at Dover High School which would span 25 years. During his career in education, he also taught Arabic at the University of Delaware and at Delaware State University. He had an entrepreneurial spirit, holding a real estate agent's license and, with the help of his wife, he operated the family business which they purchased in the 1980s. He was a former member of the Knights of Columbus and the Kent County Association of Realtors.

Mr. Girgis placed great importance on education for his three daughters and he was determined that each of them would earn a college degree. He loved his new country,America, and the freedom and opportunities it provided for all. Adly's wife, Nadia, of 53 years predeceased him in 2013. He is survived by his daughters and sons-in- law: Adele and Jean-Pierre Gabardo of Dundas, Ontario, Canada, Izabel and Brandon Roa, of Lake Worth, Fla., and Arlene and Benjhe Benton, of Dover; as well as six grandchildren: Christine Gabardo, Philip Gabardo, Gabriella Roa, Abigail Roa, Trace Benton and Alexander Benton. Adly is also survived by his brother, Victor Girgis, and his sister-in-law, Elane Girgis, of Ashburn, Va., and his brother's family, Caroline Girgis, of Vienna, Va. and Steve Girgis, of Las Vegas, Nev., as well as extended family in Maryland, Florida and Montreal, Canada as well as in Egypt.

Visitation will be 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Friday, May 19, 2017 at Pippin Funeral Home, 119 W. Camden-Wyoming Ave., Wyoming. Funeral services will be 11 a.m., Saturday, May 20, at Pippin Funeral Home. Entombment will follow in Holy Cross Cemetery, Dover. To honor his memory, the family is asking for donations to be made to the Delaware Hospice Center, 100 Patriots Way, Milford, DE 19963 in lieu of flowers.

Letters of condolence can be sent via www.pippinfuneralhome.com .