Patricia Ann Ibrahim, 76, found out what it was all about at 4:20 a.m. (PST) Jan. 26, 2015. She was born in 1938 in Arcola, to Kenneth and Madalyn Walsh. In 1965 she married Hammam Mokhtar Ibrahim “Mimo” of Cairo, Egypt, whom she loved fiercely and preceded her in death. Fiery, independent, quick-witted, and passionate, she walked her own path and remained, until her last, unintimidated or persuaded by “sameness.” She led an exceptionally fascinating and wondrous life. She grew up surrounded by a deep-rooted and loving extended family. She was an intelligent, lively, and curious young woman (and a ribbon-winning baton twirler in high school). An only child, her first cousins, Darlene “Bunny” Stout Raber, Linda Hagan, Susie Stout Van Every and Jim Stout were here “siblings” and confidants in childhood and adulthood. After marriage, she and her husband lived in Cairo from the 1960s until the 1980s, during some of Egypt’s most cosmopolitan and electrifying decades. There they began their family, raising their beloved daughters Tanya and Deena, and joined company with an incredibly loving, intimate and impenetrable group of friends. Her favorite activities were golf and bridge, which she played almost daily, dinner parties and travelling home to Warsaw and Fort Wayne to visit with her parents and cousins. In 1983, she and Mimo had their youngest daughter, Maha. She moved back to Warsaw, joined Sacred Heart Catholic Church and earned her associates degree. During the next 25 years she was a devoted daughter and mother, spending all of her time with Madalyn and Maha and her friends and family in Warsaw and Fort Wayne. She was an active member of the church, serving as a reader at mass and volunteering for various church activities. She was a proud and dedicated workingwoman. During the 1990s, she became a warrior mother and protective advocate, not only on behalf of her own daughter, but for many young people who found refuge and acceptance in her loving home. She cared for her aging mother devotedly, visiting her several times every day and developing a personal roster of other elderly Hoosiers who had no families to visit them. She returned to Egypt in the early 2000s and resumed laughing and reminiscing with her husband and life-long friends there. Golf and bridge were replaced by Turkish soap operas, shopping and daily luncheons with friends. She then went to California, where she shared her hilarious social commentary, hung out with her kids and watched a lot of Antiques Road Show. Surviving are her three daughters: Tanya and Deena Ibrahim and Maha (and spouse Jose) Alameida-Ibrahim: Jose’s parents, Jennie and Bruce Alameida; her first cousins (“siblings”); an adoptive son, Ryan Francis; adoptive family, the Zales; and her favorite mutt, Cucumber Buttons. She was preceded in death by parents. A Memorial Mass will be at 6 p.m. Friday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, with Fr. Phillip DeVolder officiating. A celebration of her life will be at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Elks Lodge, Warsaw.
