Obituary: Malaky Sabbagh, 102, Of Danbury

Information and Photo Courtesy Cornell Memorial Home

DANBURY, CT — Malaky Sabbagh, 102, of Danbury, passed away on Sunday, Oct. 29 at Village Crest for Health and Rehabilitation. She was born Jan. 15, 1921 in Hamat, Lebanon, daughter of the late Daher and Ramza Daher.

Having been born in Lebanon, Malaky and her husband, Raja, eventually immigrated to the United States in 1956, along with four of their sons. Once they arrived, they moved in with some family members in Danbury. From there, they found the culture within Danbury to be supportive of their backgrounds and decided to remain for the long-term. Shortly after arriving, Malaky had two more children, including her only daughter and another son, which completed the build out of their immediate family.

While living in Danbury, Malaky and her husband worked at varying factories throughout town to support their lifestyle, which was predominantly focused on their children, grandchildren and regular occasions surrounded by food. If you were to ask most people who were privy to her cooking throughout the years, they would likely argue that she was the best Lebanese cook around.

Aside from being an excellent cook in general, she utilized this skill to host Sunday Lunches through most of her grandchildren’s lives. Everyone would gather to see Situ, her nickname to most people who knew her, at her home as often as they could, and she would cook enough food to feed at least 25 people. She was also incredibly supportive of all her family members bringing guests (friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, etc.), and would socialize with them and quickly prompt them to get their servings, likely to quietly enjoy the fact that they were so impressed with her cooking. She even failed to provide distinct instructions to her family trying to learn her recipes, in an attempt to maintain her top of the line status.

Beyond that, Malaky always enjoyed being outside. Sometimes it was to drink coffee and gander at the neighbors, other times to pick her own grape leaves off the vines, or dandelions out of the ground. She was also very happy playing late night card games with friends who would travel distances to see her, and more simple card games, primarily “31”, with her grandchildren.

Malaky leaves behind her children: Amin and his wife Lauren, Nazmy and his wife Ellen, Nabeel, Jehad and his wife Kathy, Nellie and her husband Bob and Sam &and his wife Mary. She is also survived by 15 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. She was predeceased by her husband, Raja, her siblings, and her grandson Ryan.

Malaky’s intense love for her family, her comical sense of humor, and her amazing cooking skills that the entire family still struggles to duplicate, will be incredibly missed by everyone. We all love you, Situ.

Funeral services will be held at the Cornell Memorial Home, 247 White Street, Danbury on Friday, Nov. 3 at 2:00 p.m. The family will receive friends on Friday between 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.