Josephine A. Elias

Birth: December 15, 1932 | Died: April 14, 2026

Josephine Antoine Elias passed away with her family by her side on April 14, 2026 in Orange California at the age of 93 years. Josephine was the daughter of Antoine Kaisar and Marie Jabour and was born on December 15, 1932, in Iskenderun , in what is now Turkey. She and her family first relocated to Latakia Syria before WW2, then to Tripoli Lebanon before they settled in Beirut, Lebanon in the mid 1940’s. Josephine married Riad Fawaz of Deir Mimas Lebanon in 1948. They lived in Beirut for most of their married life, then briefly in Jounieh, Lebanon in the 1980’s, then in Huntington Beach California, after emigrating to the US in 1989. Josephine’s first husband, Riad Fawaz, passed away in January 1995. She continued to live in Huntington Beach until she met and married her second husband Sam Elias in August 2000. Josephine and Sam lived for the rest of their lives at their house in North Shady Glen Lane, Orange California. Sam Elias passed away in Sept 2024.

Josephine was preceded in death by her parents, her two husbands, and five of her seven siblings - Gilbert, Ernest, Victor, Lydia and Jean. Josephine is survived by her sister Nadia and her brother George as well as by three sons from her first marriage - Amin (his wife Julie) Fawwaz, Ramzi (Sunday) Fawaz, and Nadim (Alice) Fawaz. She has 12 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren Josephine lived a full and rewarding life in Lebanon and the US. In the 1950’s till the mid 70’s Josephine and Riad’s life in Beirut, before the Lebanese civil war, was fully dedicated to raising their kids, but they also led an active social life in the heydays of Beirut at the time. In the US, and after settling in, Josephine managed two women’s clothing boutiques in Huntington Beach and Newport Beach. After she married Sam, they traveled several times to Lebanon, to attend her son Nadim and Alice’s wedding, and also to visit the villages of Deir Mimas South Lebanon the home of Riad’s ancestors, and to Fih, El Koura the home of Sam’s ancestors. They regularly visited Josephine’s family in Geneva Switzerland, Paris France, Calgary Canada, and in Denver Colorado. They attended several Nimr-Audi family reunions all around the USA and in Guatemala. Josephine also enjoyed visiting the Elias Family and inspecting the two farms that Sam owned and managed in Persia Iowa.

Josephine was known for her generous hospitality and her famous Lebanese cooking. She enjoyed knitting clothing for all her family members. She was much loved by her family, neighbors, and the numerous friends she made during her lifetime, including, more recently, friends at the Yorba Linda Community Center, where she frequently played Bingo, and the Anaheim United Methodist Church where she and Sam attended mass. She especially enjoyed family get togethers on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and birthdays - at her house, or often hosted by her son Amin and Julie in Fullerton, and at her niece Ranwa Haddad’s place in Rancho Palos Verdes.

A memorial service to celebrate Josephine’s life will be held at the Hilgenfeld Mortuary Chapel at 120 E. Broadway - Anaheim, CA 92805 on May 9, 2026 at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to your favorite charity.