Abdallah Hage Obeid

‘If you would behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life. For life and death are one, even as the river and sea are one’

~ Khalil Gibran

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Abdallah Hage Obeid, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, professor, and friend, who leaves behind a legacy of inspiration, laughter and generosity.

Abdallah was born and raised in Amyoun, El-Kourah, Lebanon. He enrolled at the Lebanese University in Beyrouth in Arts and Education. During his studies he was elected the president of the student association. He taught in many schools in Lebanon before he was recruited by Unesco to train teachers in the now Republic of Congo. At the official voting age in Lebanon of 21, he was elected as a member of the municipality of Amyoun, and 2 years later he became the caretaker of the municipality of Amyoun. He opened a private secondary school, which he ran for 9 years from 1967 to 1976, where he wrote many school books and plays, with the school becoming a cultural centre for the region. He also opened a bookstore, for the first time in the Kourah region and gave dozens of lectures and speeches.

Married in Amyoun to his wife Mariane Chammas in 1976, they left for their 5-month honeymoon. During this time, his home, school and bookstore were looted and destroyed, leaving nothing for them to return to. They applied to come to Canada from Barbados and they entered Canada as landed immigrants in September of that same year. Settling in Ottawa, he taught French Immersion for the English School Board in Aylmer and founded, in 1982, the Arabic Studies at the University of Ottawa where he stayed as director of the Chair in Arabic studies for 37 years. Thousands of successful students have graduated from the Arabic Studies program at the University of Ottawa. He was also the liaison between the University of Ottawa and many universities in the Arab world, where he facilitated 24 agreements between the various universities.

He was also one of the founders of the Arabic news at Radio Canada International, where he freelanced for 20 years covering the Ottawa news and events. He was a member of the Canadian Committees for Peace in the World and the Middle East, and a member of the Middle East Discussion Group. He received numerous distinctions and awards including the Queen’s Jubilee Award and the Canada 150 medal for his many contributions to education and building bridges between Canada, Lebanon and the Arab world.

He will be deeply missed by his spouse, Mariane (Chammas), his daughters, Caroline (Mark Nassim), Nicole, (Cory Mazzuca), and Alma (David Del Giudice), his grandchildren, Lyla (13), Malek (11), Zane (10), and Luca (10), and in Lebanon by his siblings Salwa, Chehade, and Elène, and by many extended family and friends. Abdallah touched many lives and always had a smile for everyone who he came in contact with, including the wonderful staff at The Ottawa General Hospital and Maycourt Hospice who took excellent care of him.

The family will receive relatives and friends on Thursday, July 24, 2025, from 6-8pm at Beechwood Funeral Home (280 Beechwood Avenue, Ottawa). A funeral service will take place on Friday, July 25, 2025 (11am), at St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral, 2975 Riverside Drive, Ottawa. Interment will take place after the service at Beechwood Cemetery (1pm). 

In lieu of flowers and for those wishing, donations to St. Elias Cathedral or Ottawa Cancer Foundation, would be  appreciated.