Gamal G. Saleh

In Loving Celebration

Gamal Girgis “Mimi” Saleh was born in al-Fayyum, Egypt on June 10, 1940.  The second of six children born to Reverend Girgis G. Grais and Thereza E. Khalil, Mimi spent her primary school years in Asyut, Egypt.  After earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature from Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt, Mimi embarked a varied and rewarding career.  She would hold positions in a range of fields, including as a flight attendant for Egypt Air and librarian, and within Egypt’s burgeoning multinational corporate sector.

Mimi married Reda Tawfik Saleh in 1969, and in 1977 the couple immigrated to the U.S. with their two sons, Sherein and Phillip.  Mimi resided in Falls Church, Virginia from the time of her arrival to the U.S. until her passing.  She served as an Arabic language instructor serving government clients in Northern Virginia, and remained a lifelong and devoted member of the Egyptian Evangelical Christian communities in both America and Egypt.

Mimi lived a life of resilient joy and unbreakable faith marked by her trademark smile and warmth.  In the face of life’s greatest challenges and most painful trials, she remained a lover of souls and undying believer in the One in whose image they were formed. 

In addition to her son, Phillip, Mimi is survived by her devoted daughter-in-law, Biyanka, her three beautiful grandchildren, Andrew, Ella, and Mathew, and her five siblings.

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