In the Lebanese village of Kfarsaroun, Atie Georges was born a miracle. His mother, who believed she couldn’t conceive, gave him a name that means “a gift from God.” And for 90 years, Atie’s presence remained a blessing to everyone who knew him.

Atie became the eldest of six brothers and one sister. He left school at age 15 to help support his family, learning the art of furniture refinishing and antique repair. Like a second father, he was dedicated to taking care of his siblings and helping them find training and work.

When he was 22 years old, Atie met Bahaa Salem, the love of his life. They courted for three years before marrying and moved to Beirut. A year after that, they had their first child, Lena. May, Diana and Tony soon followed.

Atie and Bahaa shared a joyful household, with a love for dancing in the kitchen together and entertaining friends. But they saw war coming. In 1971, Atie said goodbye to his parents, job and home — and hello to the Lebanese community of Cleveland, Ohio. He dreamed of safety and education for his young children, then ages 9 to 2.

Atie and Bahaa had the support of some family who had already moved to the United States, but the couple only spoke Arabic and French. They enrolled in ESOL classes and wrote out stories from the local newspaper by hand to practice their English. After studying American government and history, they proudly became naturalized citizens in 1976.

Atie loved America as a land of opportunity and freedom for his family. He kept up with Arabic language and music, attending an Orthodox Christian church when he wasn’t working and enjoying kibbeh instead of turkey during the holidays. He also loved meeting new American neighbors and taking his children to multicultural festivals.

Atie and Bahaa each worked three jobs to support their young family, from line work at the Ford factory to furniture refinishing. Their first decade in America was difficult, with gas shortages, high interest rates and job insecurity. Atie relied on his steadfast faith and remained grateful for his blessings. “You would never know the hardships he faced,” said his daughter, Lena. “Because he was always smiling.”

In the early 1980s, after several years of odd jobs following layoffs at Ford, Atie and Bahaa opened a store: Cypress Beverage and Deli. Atie worked seven days a week, usually closing the store late at night. While he never finished his own education, his hard work with Bahaa allowed Atie to send all four of his children to college.

In the rare moments where Atie wasn’t working, he loved watching American football — and betting on games with a warm McDonald’s apple pie as the prize. He savored Lebanese food prepared by Bahaa, especially kibbeh, tabbouleh, hummus and shish kabab. He took pride in figuring out how to fix the family car and anything that broke around the house. Atie loved having friends and family over to play cards.

In 1992, Atie sadly lost Bahaa. Before she passed, he pledged to take care of their children. He honored her wishes until he died.

Atie retired from the store in 2016 and spent just shy of a decade living in Florida under the loving care of Lena, her husband, Kip, and their children, Nick and Gabrielle. Atie loved Florida’s weather and palm trees, which reminded him of Lebanon. Each day included long walks and marathon rounds of the card game Basra (though Atie was sweet, he had a fiercely competitive streak.) The home was always filled with the music of Lebanese singers, like Sabah, Fairuz and Wadih El Safi, and the sounds of laughter as Atie clapped, sang and danced along.

He explored new places, including Clearwater Beach, the University of Florida and downtown Safety Harbor. He savored opportunities to see wildlife and say hello to his neighbors. Atie loved sharing lessons for his family, especially the importance of relying on God, tidying up and being present with one another.

At the end of his life, even though Alzheimer’s took away his independence and mobility, Atie was still engaged with family, nature and music. He loved watching musicals, Harry Potter films and the Taylor Swift Eras Tour movie.

Atie passed early on the morning of December 6, 2025 — St. Nicholas Day. He is preceded in death by his wife, Bahaa; his parents, Amin and Hasibey; his brothers John, Abraham and George and his son-in-law Amir.

He is survived by his children (Lena and her husband Kip, May, Diana, Tony and his wife Rosanna), his siblings (Elias, Adnan and Renee) and his grandchildren (Nicholas, Gabrielle and her husband Anthony, Alex, Hope, Katie, Isabelle, Tony Jr. and Joey).

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer's Association in his memory.

Funeral Service at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, 2587 W. 14th St., Cleveland, Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 10 a.m. Interment St. Theodosius Cemetery. Luncheon to follow at the Ripepi Community Center, 5784 Pearl Rd., Parma. Family and friends received at THE RIPEPI FUNERAL HOME, 5762 PEARL RD. (AT SNOW RD.) SATURDAY, December 13, 2025 from 8:30-9:30 a.m.