Name: Calling hours for Elizabeth Boosahda
Start: 2017-10-30T13:00:00.000Z
End: 2017-10-30T13:45:00.000Z
Location: Saint George Orthodox Cathedral

Elizabeth Boosahda

Worcester - Elizabeth Boosahda, 91, of Worcester, passed away on Tuesday, October 24, 2017, at Dodge Park Rest Home.

She was born in Worcester on August 15, 1926, to Kalil and Nazira (Mishalanie) Boosahda. She grew up on Grafton Hill. She resided for many years at 80 Salisbury Street, Worcester, where she was instrumental in working with State and Local authorities to procure handicap access for the building.

Elizabeth leaves her dear brothers, Michael Boosahda and his wife Margaret of Worcester, John Busada of Charlottesville, VA, and Abraham Busada of Shreveport, LA; as well as many nieces, nephews, grand nieces, and grand nephews.

She is predeceased by, and joins in Heaven, her dear sisters, Rose (Boosahda) Nicola of Grand Rapids, MI, and Freda (Boosahda) Dadah of Worcester, and her dear brother, Leo Boosahda of West Boylston.

Elizabeth was a graduate of Commerce High School and Becker College. She was a member of Saint George Orthodox Cathedral in Worcester.

She worked as an Administrative Assistant in Boston and Florida, and at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester.

Elizabeth was a world traveler, having visited close to 100 countries. She is the published author of Arab-American Faces and Voices: The Origins of an Immigrant Community, a work of love, showcasing the struggles of Arab Americans who emigrated to this area from 1880 through 1915. This manuscript was adopted by classrooms for Middle Eastern Studies, and cited by several scholarly articles. She developed an expertise in archaeology and genealogy. She was a community activist and a well-loved sister and aunt. Elizabeth was always interested and excited to learn new things. Elizabeth was a kind and loving person. She loved her family dearly. She enjoyed nature and found beauty in everything around her.

A Calling Hour will be on Monday, October 30th, from 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. in Saint George Orthodox Cathedral, 30 Anna Street, Worcester, followed by a Funeral Service at 10 a.m. Interment will be in Hope Cemetery, Worcester.

Donations in her memory may be made to Saint George Orthodox Cathedral, 30 Anna Street, Worcester, MA 01604.

The family has chosen MERCADANTE FUNERAL HOME & CHAPEL, Worcester, to assist with arrangements.

There is an online register for messages and condolences, it can be found at

www.mercadantefuneral.com

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Worcester Telegram & Gazette from Oct. 25 to Oct. 28, 2017.

Memories and Condolences
for Elizabeth Boosahda

Sponsored by Mercadante Funeral Home & Chapel - Worcester.

8 Entries

Michael Toler

November 26, 2021

I worked with Elizabeth on a video project celebrating the Arab-American Community of Worcester, a project inspired by her remarkable book Arab-American Faces and Voices. She was not only a remarkable scholar but also a magnanimous host, who arranged for us to visit several churches and the local mosque. Those videos were created for a now-defunct online resource, but I hope to bring them back online as a tribute to her and the ancestors she wrote about so eloquently! A truly special woman!

Linda-Adele Foley

October 19, 2019

Dear Beth,
Your soft voice is still remembered; I can hear it. Though you spoke softly, your ideas were bold.
You stood up for your own beliefs and helped others who were less confident find their voices.
Beth Boosahda, you and your siblings figure large in many of my most cherished early family memories

Linda-Adele Foley

November 5, 2017

Elizabeth was a true champion,a pioneer. She went places, did things, and supported her friends and family always.

Even as a young girl, I recognized the way she brought joy to a situation, the way she conveyed to the people around her, especially young people, "you can do this."

Betty, as she was called years ago, came into our family,when her wonderful brother, Leo, married my big sister, Emily. I so loved seeing all the Boosahda siblings at big parties. And, in particular, I remember Beth, the way she spoke softly, but never failed to make her case and the way she made you feel, as if your contributions mattered. A tween when we met (I was twenty years younger), beyond my own sisters, Beth modeled for me a bright woman of independent thought, one who took risks, she was a doer, a writer, a pioneering spirit.
My fondest memory is the time Beth showed my parents and me sound Miami. I was only 10 at the time. Beth was working there.

Thank you for gracing our world, Beth

Linda K. Jacobs

October 30, 2017

Her work was and remains an important document in the history of Worcester and in the history of Syrian/Lebanese immigration. That is a true legacy!