Samir F. Mansour

Samir F. Mansour, 91, of Upland, CA, passed away peacefully, of natural causes, on December 27, 2020. He was born in Haifa, Palestine, the third of four children. As a young man, he worked as a Chief Inspector for the United Nations before immigrating to the U.S. In 1956, he received his B.A. from the University of Chicago, married his high school sweetheart, Aida Totah, and moved to Monterey, CA where he worked for the Defense Language Institute. In 1966, he accepted a position at the Naval Post Graduate School, while also earning his Master's degree. In 1972, Samir, Aida and their three children relocated to Washington, D.C. where he worked for the U.S. Department of Navy (Naval Supply and Systems Command) until his retirement in 1984. Samir and Aida returned to California in 1989 to spend their golden years traveling the world and enjoying their grandchildren. Samir also established a private practice as a consulting Arbitrator for the Federal Government. Samir was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and friend to all. He was a very energetic, social, fun-loving, adventurous man and an involved citizen, who thrived on being actively involved in every aspect of life. He was an intense soccer fan, player, coach and referee, as well as a Boy Scout leader, avid golfer, school board member, active member of the University Club of Claremont, St. Mark's Episcopal Church, the Peace and Justice Club of Beverly Hills, the American Arbitrators Association and several other organizations. Samir was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Aida. He is survived by his son, Bryan Mansour (Lydia) of Pebble Beach, CA; his daughter, Sue Hensley (Mark) of Claremont, CA; his son, Philip Mansour; his grandchildren, Philip Mansour, Jr., Robert Hensley, Christina Hensley, Juliana Hensley, Heather Mansour, Lauren Mansour, Andrew Mansour; and two great-grandchildren. Due to Covid restrictions, the family will be having a private graveside service and hope to host a celebration of life in the future. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Samir's name to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (www.pcrf.net).