Rafat Istafanous Saman

Rafat Istafanous Saman was born on April 15, 1940 in Cairo, Egypt. The son of Istafanous, a conductor on the Egyptian National Railroad, and Tafida, a homemaker, Rafat grew up one of nine brothers and sisters in the Coptic Christian neighborhood of Shobra. Graduating from Ain Shams University in the 1960s, Rafat worked for nearly a decade as a civil engineer before emigrating to the United States in 1970. He began his life in America as an engineer for the City of Los Angeles, where, among his many accomplishments, he helped to modernize Griffith Park's irrigation system. In 1977, he met and married the love of his life, Therese Hagop Khatcherian, with whom he would have two children, Heidi Lynn Saman, born in 1979, and Kevin Steven Saman, born in 1982.

After continuing his career as an engineer in the private sector, Rafat owned and operated a construction firm for several years before opening Alpha Medical Supplies, Inc., in the mid 1990s, a business he pursued with great passion until his death. He is survived by his wife, children, and granddaughter, Neave Helena Saman, born December 23, 2015.