Jeanette Maloof Ashamalla

On Christmas Eve 1930, just north of the Mexican border, in tiny Calexico, California, Jeanette Maloof was born. The oldest of three, she was a natural ringleader for younger siblings Nellie and George, initiating supplemental feedings of the family dog by tossing whatever meals she didn't like out the upstairs window when her mother wasn't looking. (As it happened, the dog didn't like them either.) Her parents owned a small grocery store and she would occasionally sneak a treat - once "taste testing" a case of soda bottles by taking a sip from each. Another time, she and Nellie opened all the Cracker Jack boxes to get the prizes.

They visited Los Angeles during the scorching Calexico summers, and Jeanette and Nellie would beg their Aunt Alice for rides to the beach in the rumble seat of her Model A Ford. After elementary school, the family moved to Boyle Heights, where Jeanette attended Hollenbeck Junior High and Roosevelt High School. She graduated with a Letterman sweater and used to say that it was for basketball. Since she was 5'3" and said it with a smile, we'll never really know. After her 1948 high school graduation, she took classes at Los Angeles City College and worked as a secretary at Occidental Life Insurance, making lifelong friends and saving up for her first car, a Pontiac Chieftain.

She was still working there in 1958, when she attended a church fundraiser for the Middle East. A young man there asked to take her sister Nellie out on a date. Nellie agreed to go if her sister chaperoned. The young man, Shoukry Ashamalla, replied he would bring his brother, Gamil. Jeanette fell for Gamil, the Egyptian doctor with the ready laugh, skinny too-long ties and holes in his shoes. She used to tell the story of his coming over with a big box she presumed was a present for her, but turned out to be a box of pictures her homesick beau wanted to show her. They married a year later, in November 1959, honeymooning on Kauai, in the brand new state of Hawaii, but cut their trip short due to an erupting volcano. When they returned, she worked as a secretary in Gamil's office and eleven months later, Rosemarie was born. Shortly after the delivery, Jeanette was diagnosed with advanced Hodgkin's disease and told to put her affairs in order. She fought her way to remission, but after having Michele in 1967, she refused to go to a doctor for the next 20 years.

She remained geographically close to her mother, sister and brother. After spending the first two years of married life in a Los Feliz apartment, she and Gamil purchased their home on Wayne Avenue, three doors up from her family, where she lived with him all her days. She knew the city like the back of her hand and could navigate its streets as well as she could fearlessly navigate the day-after-Christmas sale at Robinson's.

While her kids were growing up, the family enjoyed many, many family gatherings and extensive travel abroad. In an era when it was not popular to vacation overseas with children, she and Gamil brought their girls with them, sparking their own love of travel. She generously welcomed a steady stream of visitors to their home – extended family and newcomers from Egypt, as well as visitors her children invited from all over the world.

She was busy all the time – volunteering with the Ladies' Auxiliaries at the hospitals where Gamil was on staff, or managing properties. It didn't matter if someone was painting or running electrical wiring, she would be standing right there the whole time, making sure the job was done right. If she needed a roofer, she might pull up while driving and negotiate directly with the people fixing a roof she was passing. Her Spanish was flawless and she spoke it often, whether in Mexico or downtown LA. Equally at home at Tommy's Burgers or the Bullock's Wilshire Tea Room, she loved to talk to people and strangers confided in her. It wasn't unusual for her to nod sympathetically at a hotel maid and whisper, "Poor thing, she's having problems with her boyfriend."

She was a night owl and an excellent cook, and could often be found rolling grape leaves or making a big batch of tabouli at one or two in the morning. She rarely left an event without winning a door prize or raffle item. She had gorgeous handwriting, though as a lefty, she was forced to write with her right hand during elementary school. She had a quick wit, a great head for business and loved gardening, late-night talk shows and the occasional Manhattan, straight up.

Throughout her life, she and Gamil generously contributed to many worthwhile organizations. She made a point of supporting the high schools and universities her daughters attended and in later years also donated generously to her daughter's local nonprofit agency. She was thrilled to be a grandmother and lobbied for it well before it happened. She fought serious illness again later in life, beating breast cancer into submission, but could not overcome the crippling Parkinson's disease she was diagnosed with some years ago.

The last few years were difficult and it was painful to see her world getting smaller and smaller. Our family will always remember the smart, funny, fiery Jeanette we knew and hope all of you will recall her quick laugh and strong spirit, always. Ever in our hearts and thoughts, we love you, Jeanette.

She is survived by her husband Gamil, sister Nellie Haick, children Rosemarie and Michele, son-in-law Thomas Heller and grandchildren Ava, Nathan and Vivian Heller. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.