Fares Salame

Fares Salame was born December 1, 1949, and passed away surrounded by his family on October 14th, 2023 at the age of 73.
Fares was born and raised in the village of Antoura, Lebanon as one of seven children in a Maronite Catholic household. As a student at Collège Saint Joseph Antoura, he was an elite sportsman and set multiple athletic records. He also became captain of the Lebanese national basketball team, traveling Europe and the Middle East to compete. Fares was nicknamed "le bombardier de l'équipe" known for his speed, skill, and power on the court.
Fares was a self-made man who believed in honesty, hard work, and the American dream. He came to the US in 1971 to study aviation and obtained his pilot's license. He eventually shifted his focus from flying to management and business. Along the way he waited tables, managed a restaurant, and worked in medical retail. He also worked in a family-owned Middle Eastern bakery. It was there where he reconnected with Maryrose, the childhood friend from Lebanon who would become his wife of 46 years.
Together, Fares and Maryrose pooled their restaurant tips and counted coins, saving their change to eventually buy their first small real estate holding – the twelve-unit apartment building on Ridgewood Avenue where they lived in Daytona Beach, renaming it in honor of their homeland's iconic Cedar. Soon after, they bought the house next door, and their family grew. For years, they slowly but steadily acquired or flipped residential and commercial properties. Fares also took great pride in gaining new skills and certifications that helped him run the business, such as air condition repair, plumbing, and eventually his Realtor licensure. Most recently, Fares and Maryrose became the owners of Tymber Creek Plaza in Ormond Beach.
Fares was well known for his unrivaled work ethic, his warmth, kindness, sense of humor, loyal friendship, and tremendous generosity. He loved education and learning and was fluent in Arabic, French, and English. He enjoyed woodworking and spending time in his garden, planting herbs and fruit trees that reminded him of Lebanon. He was a wonderful father, husband, and friend. He was deeply loved and will be profoundly missed.
Fares is preceded in death by his father Zeidan, sister Zeina, and mother Saide of Lebanon. He is survived by his wife Maryrose, his children Ziad, Zeina, Tami, and Tony of Ormond Beach, his sisters overseas - Leila, Karima, Boushra, and Yousra, his brother Hikmat of Canada, as well as many nieces and nephews living in the US, Canada, and Lebanon.
Services will be held at 11:00 am on Wednesday, October 25th at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers, donations of remembrance may be made to Fares's favorite charity, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.