Kawther Jabbur

Jabbur, Kawther ALBANY Kawther Jabbur, 92, a former longtime resident of Albany, peacefully passed away at her family home in Beirut, Lebanon on September 8, 2022. Those of us who knew about her extraordinary ESP may lovingly wonder about the coincidence of this being a tremendous day of mourning throughout the world. Kawther was the beloved only daughter of Professor Emeritus Jibrail Jabbur, Ph.D. and his wife Asma, who raised all four of their children as a family closely affiliated with the American University of Beirut. She and her three brothers all completed their undergraduate studies at the AUB, where Kawther earned her B.A. in education. Two of her brothers, Ghassan and Suhayl, predeceased her; Ramzi, the youngest and only surviving sibling, resides in New York City. Growing up in a household richly imbued with an appreciation for music, art and literature, Kawther and her brothers played classical piano and violin. She also enjoyed painting, later in life attending art classes at SUNY in Albany. In 1962, she immigrated permanently to Albany with her former husband, Dr. Munir Jabbur, and their two young daughters, Rima and Norma, both of whom are alumni of the Albany Academy for Girls. Kawther, a true "hostess with the mostess," thrived in becoming involved with the local community. She joyously became a member of the Capitol Hill Choral Society, looking forward to their annual performances with the Albany Symphony Orchestra. Eventually, she became one of the orchestra's board members, working tirelessly as one of their major fundraisers. She also invited the orchestra's guest soloists to stay at her home, where she frequently hosted gala dinner parties, providing them with the opportunity to meet the local community. During her travels, here and abroad, Kawther rarely missed a chance to attend an opera, but her faithful "multiple pilgrimage" every season was to The Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Kawther was also a duplicate bridge player, participating regularly in tournaments. This was a lifelong passion cultivated by her parents as well as numerous other "bridge obsessed" family members! In 2010, Kawther bid Albany farewell and returned to Beirut to permanently enjoy the remainder of her active life in the second residence she has always regularly visited and maintained for her eventual retirement, as it is near the home of her daughter, Norma. Kawther is survived by her two daughters, the artist Rima Jabbur, living in Florida with her husband Dr. Wadih Macksoud, and linguist Norma Yusuf, living in Beirut with her husband, Saade Yusuf.