Obituary of Ibrahim Fathalla Ghanem

It is with sadness that the family of Ibrahim Ghanem announce his death at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital on Thursday, September 16, 2021. Born in Egypt on June 13, 1937, he was the husband of Sally (Charles) Ghanem of Fredericton. In addition ho his wife, Sally, he leaves behind his daughters, Sara Ghanem (Rudy Stocek) of Woodstock, NB and Amyl Ghanem of Halifax, NS; brother, Ashraf Ghanem (Suzanne) of Fredericton, NB; sister, Awatif Ghanem of Egypt; grandchildren, Alex (Sarah), Matthew and Noah Stocek and Theadora Ghanem; as well as loving relatives in Egypt, Canada and the United States. Ibrahim was predeceased by his parents, Shihata and Sakina (Mustafa) Ghanem. Abe graduated from Ain Shams University in Cairo Egypt with a degree in Agricultural Science, and was awarded a mission scholarship to study abroad. He chose McGill University in Canada and graduated with a PhD in Soil Chemistry. He met his wife Sally at McGill and they returned to Egypt where he was a professor at the University of Alexandria and Sally taught at the Scottish School for Girls. Daughters Sara and Amyl were born in Alexandria. He returned to Canada for a Post Doc at the University of Guelph and then took a position with the New Brunswick Dept of Agriculture in Fredericton. He worked there until he retired as Assistant Deputy Minister of Agriculture in 1997. After retirement he continued to work as a consultant internationally for CIDA and the Food and Agricultural Organization. He was also Professor Emeritus at the University of Alexandria and happily spent winters consulting pro bono with students and colleagues. He was a proud founding member of the Multicultural Association of Fredericton, and the NB Multicultural Council. He served on the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Multiculturalism. Abe received the Order of New Brunswick, Citation of Citizenship and was inducted into the Agricultural Hall of Fame. Abe’s greatest joy in life was his family and his many friends on both sides of the ocean. He spent many happy mornings and afternoons with his coffee groups . He counted himself a very fortunate, blessed grandfather of three stellar grandsons and loved kicking a soccer ball about with them. Later he figured he hit the jackpot when his beloved granddaughter Thea was born. We will miss him very much. A burial will be held in Forest Hill Cemetery on Sunday, September 19, 2021 at 3:30pm. For those who plan to attend, the family would appreciate that masks be worn. Donations in Ibrahim’s memory can be made to the Multicultural Association of Fredericton.