William George Haddad

William George Haddad, just 7 days shy of 99, passed away peacefully at the MonteCedro Senior Living Community in Altadena, California on March 1, 2024.

 

Bill was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Lebanese immigrants, David and Sadie Haddad. He had two older brothers, Joe and Ben, and a younger sister, Becky. 

 

Bill was 16 years old when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, triggering America's involvement in World War II. After graduating from Roosevelt High School, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He became a navigator on a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, flying 18 missions into Nazi Germany before being captured and taken prisoner. He was placed at Stalag Luft III until the end of the war and was liberated by General George Patton. 

 

After a pre-war January visit to his brother Joe, who was living in Long Beach, his desire to move from a very cold Iowa to sunny California was sealed.  

Taking advantage of the GI Bill passed by Congress, Bill attended UCLA, graduating in 1949 with a BS degree in business. He took a keen interest in the field of finance and pursued a position with the stock brokerage firm, E.F Hutton. Bill would become the firm's top producer in the late 1960s and 70s, providing him with the opportunity to open a boutique American-Arab investment firm, Petra Capital. This was followed by opening an American-Kuwaiti firm, Gulf Pacific Securities. He then moved to PaineWebber which merged with UBS and was with them until his late retirement at 90 years old. Truly, a man who loved his work! 

 

During his early years at E.F. Hutton in Hollywood, Bill was invited by a frequent visitor, Dap Hapip, a member of St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral to attend church with him. As fate would have it, that day he would meet the love of his life, Mary Rose Attyah. They married two years later, on July 11, 1953. They raised three children and were an integral part of the Lebanese and Antiochian Orthodox communities in Los Angeles. Mary Rose was the center of Bill's universe. They were inseparable for 65 blissful years, until her passing in 2016.

 

In addition to serving his country, becoming a successful businessman, and raising a beautiful family, Bill was an accomplished golfer and all-around good athlete. He was a longtime member of the Wilshire Country Club and in 1976 partnered with Jack Loesel to win its distinguished annual tournament, The Macbeth Invitational.

 

Bill is survived by his son Benjamin and his wife, Ann, his son David and his wife, Ana and their son, Alden and his daughter Rosemarie Hajjar and her husband, Mitri.

 

Bill left us with a great sense of dedication, integrity, steadfastness, honesty, family love and a jovial spirit. Memory Eternal, Bill!!