Maria Elias Younes Obituary (1929 - 2012)

Augusta, Maine– Maria “Mamma” Younes, 82, died at MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta on January 25, 2012. She was surrounded by her loving and immediately family and friends until the very end. Maria was born in Nabha Lebanon on August 8, 1929, the daughter of Elias and Masihiyyah (Christian) Armani. Her father was Armenian and her mother was Lebanese, both of whom were Christian Maronite. She met and married the love of her life, Fouad Younes, of Utica New York, in her teens but was widowed by the age of 25 with 5 children, Joseph, Angela, Florence, Naji, and Tony Younes, whom she raised by herself by becoming a nurse during a difficult period in Lebanon’s history. She never remarried and was devoted to raising and supporting her family throughout her life. Maria’s life was full of travel and worldly experience. She lived through civil war and religious persecution; she lived in Lebanon, Bahrain, Texas, and Maine and spoke Arabic, French, Armenian, and English. She was an avid knitter and gardener and loved to cook for her family. She loved nothing more than being with her family and counted arriving and living in the United States as one of her greatest achievements. An American Flag and a Christian cross always graced her home. She instilled a love for America, hard work, and religious devotion in her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She smiled easily. No difficult circumstance could disturb her solid soul or trouble her mind. Her faith in and love of God raised her above pettiness, vanity, and small concerns. She was an optimist who recognized in America’s principles a touch of God and divine providence. She possessed the virtues of moderation, courage, generosity, and prudence, and was considered the rock upon which her family was anchored. All who knew her, whether they were related to her or not, knew her locally as “Mamma”, especially at the River Caf restaurant in Hallowell, Maine, where she worked for many years as a chef. She embodied the spirit of a caring but firm mother. She could heal and calm those who were troubled around her through the power of her prayers and calm disposition. There was simply no one like her on earth. She died in a country she loved deeply and considered her home away from home. She was predeceased by her son, Joseph; her loving husband, Fouad; her brother, Tony “Colombo” Armani and her sister, Salwa. She is survived by her two daughters, Angela Habib and Florence Assaf and two sons, Naji and Tony Younes; her brothers, George and Anise, and sisters Elise, Margot, and Janet. She also leaves behind 15 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. Relatives and friends are invited to visit from 5:00-8:00pm Friday, January 27 and 8:30-10:30am on Saturday, January 28 at Knowlton & Hewins Funeral Home, One Church St., Augusta. A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated following the visitation on Saturday at 11:00am at St. Mary of the Assumption Roman Catholic Church, 41 Western Ave., Augusta with Rev. Kevin Martin Celebrant. Burial will be in the spring at Kling Cemetery. Memories, condolences, photos and videos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of our website at www.khrfuneralhomes.com