Sherief Ahmed Singer

Wilmington - Sherief Ahmed Singer, age 41, of Wilmington, NC, passed away unexpectedly on October 5th, 2023. Services were held for Sherief on October 8th, 2023 and he was laid to rest at Oleander Memorial Gardens in Wilmington, NC.

Born June 5th, 1982 in New Brunswick, NJ to Ahmed and Cynthia Singer, Sherief was a devoted father, a loving son, and a caring brother. After spending a warm and wonderful childhood in Central New Jersey, Sherief pursued a degree in aviation, earning his B.S. in Aviation from the University of Western Michigan, before settling in Wilmington, NC to work in the logistics and shipping industry with his family. He held positions at Gulf American Lines, Southampton Terminal, and was later the President of Meridian International, LLC. In his career, Sherief took a "jack of all trades" approach to his work. He was equally comfortable installing electrical fixtures in a warehouse as he was closing international business deals. He was a natural problem solver, who believed there was no project that he couldn't tackle and who always wanted to learn new skills rather than pay others to do things for him. This was most evident in his intriguing list of side businesses. He built homes, traded stocks and crypto-currency, and imported olives, among other ventures.

Though Sherief was dedicated to his work, aviation was his true passion, and he was always at home in the skies. He earned his first pilot's license at age 16, one year before earning his driver's license, and was the only kid in high school who could fly his friends over their houses. Flying allowed him to employ his impressive technical and mechanical acumen to achieve the freedom, self-determination, and sense of boundless possibility that is unique to those who can pilot their own planes.

When he wasn't in the air, Sherief enjoyed a good laugh, a good party, and some good techno music. He was an avid tinkerer, whose home and office were packed with interesting gadgets, many of which he built himself. And he also loved caring for his pet fish, who lived in an intricately built tank that he enjoyed upgrading and maintaining.

His pride and joy in life, however, was his family. He spent his career working closely with his parents and siblings, and he adored his three children, Emily, Bradley, and Ethan - often remarking to friends that fatherhood was life's most amazing gift, and that having children was something everyone had to experience.

Sherief is survived by his parents, Ahmed and Cynthia Singer; his children, Emily (12), Bradley (7), and Ethan (4), and his partner of many years, Lauren Martin of Wilmington, NC; his sister Shereen Singer and her children Theodore and Greyson of Pittsburgh, PA; his brother Shawn and his wife Jessenia and their children Mia, Eric, Sophia, Lucas, Liam, and Leo of Orlando, FL; his half-sisters Dina of Wilmington, NC and Rasha of Alexandria, Egypt; and Michele Singer (Emily's Mom) of Wilmington, NC.

Sherief's time on this earth was tragically short, but his memory will endure in our hearts forever.