Surella Cecile Nasser

Surella “Sudie” Cecile Nasser, age 89, went peacefully into our Lord’s loving arms on Friday, August 01, 2025. Surella was born November 22, 1935, in Chihuahua, Mexico, to Matta and Nahdi Elias Assi who immigrated to Mexico from Hummos, a small village in Syria. Her mother died in 1940 when she was 5 and her father moved his family from Chihuahua to El Paso, Texas, where he married Virginia Milhem. Surella spoke Spanish and Arabic and learned English after moving to El Paso.

Surella graduated from El Paso High School with Honors and attended Texas Western College while working full time at Hotel Dieu Hospital and Mountain Bell Telephone Company. On her daily walk to work, Surella saw a nice-looking man and eventually said hello to him each morning. She didn’t know the man was Delfone Elias Nasser, who she later met at a St. George Orthodox Church fellowship event. They officially met in March 1958, got engaged in June and married September 14, 1958.

Surella worked in education at Austin High School from 1976-1997 and was honored as Teacher of the Year in 1977. She was also a very successful Avon Representative for nearly 30 years.

Surella served her community many ways - PTA President, Syrian American Ladies Club President, Downtown Optimist Club member, St. George Church Ladies Society President and May Dinner Ticket Chair for over 40 years. She was a pillar of her Church - publishing cookbooks, sending over 10,000 get well cards, and cooking for and visiting shut ins and widows.

Surella was honored with a Leadership Texas Honorary Membership award in 2005, as an Immigrant Woman of El Paso in 2008, and was inducted into the El Paso Women’s Hall of Fame for her outstanding work in the volunteer field in 2010.

Family and Church were the cornerstones of Surella’s life. She loved spending time with family and friends, especially celebrating the milestones in her grandchildren’s lives. No one cooked or baked like “Siti”, and nothing compared to her hugs, kisses, and nightly prayers with her children and grandchildren.

Surella is preceded in death by her parents; her husband Delfone; her son Dale Jr.; her sisters Lucille, MaryAnn, Linda and Tamra; and her brother David. She is survived by her children: Daniel and Deanna; her grandchildren: Ellen, Joseph (Andrea), Theodore, Danielle, Alyse (Wynston), Dale III, Nicholas, Levi, and Charles; and her great-grandchildren: Miles Joseph, Riley Surella, Anne Louise, and Margaret Grace; her sisters Della, Joann and Lamayda; her brothers George, Charles and William; and her brother in law Roger. She is also survived by many extended family and friends who cherish and honor her memory.

Her Visitation will be held from 5:00pm to 8:00pm on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, at Sunset Funeral Homes-West with a Trisagion Service to commence at 6:00pm. Her Funeral Service will be held at 11:00am on Thursday, August 14, 2025, at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, 120 N. Festival Dr., El Paso, Texas 79912. Pallbearers will be: Paul Ferris Sr., Paul Ferris Jr., Kelvin Green, Joseph Nasser, Dale Nasser III, Nicholas Nasser, Dr. George Rizk, and Theodore Zounis. Honorary pallbearers will be: Dr. Edward Assi, Dr. Muneer Assi, Wynston Cooper, Mark Davis, Paul Dipp, George Elias, Charles Elias, William “Billy” Elias, Christopher Ferris, Ernie Heyek, Roger Loper, Levi Nasser, Charles Nasser, Miles Nasser, Harold Nasser, Ron Samore, Joseph Sayklay, and Alex Tayem.

Graveside service will follow at 1:00pm at Ft. Bliss National Cemetery. Services entrusted to Sunset Funeral Homes-West, 480 N. Resler. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, 120 N. Festival, El Paso, TX 79912: https://www.stgeorge-elpaso.org/onlinegiving