"It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my mother Jalilah Sayegh (Um Nabil)," Assemblyman Nader J. Sayegh, who represents the 90th District in Yonkers, said on Saturday afternoon, April 11. "Jalilah was the matriarch of our family, and was loved and respected by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her. To know her, was to love her. I will sorely miss her."
Nader Sayegh said his mother Jalilah Sayegh died earlier in the day at St. John’s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers from suspected COVID-19 complications.
Jalilah Sayegh was born in 1929 in Al-Mafraq, Jordan. She emigrated to the United States in 1957 with her late husband, Jamil M. Sayegh. After his death in 1965, she raised eight children as a widowed mother.
Jalilah Sayegh was also heavily involved in her community, having co-founded the Yonkers Virgin Mary Orthodox Church in 1966.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the family has not yet made a formal funeral or memorial arrangements. A public ceremony to celebrate Jalilah’s life will be arranged at a later date.
“On behalf of the entire Sayegh family, we want to thank everyone for their love and support during this difficult time,” said Assemblyman Sayegh, who has been a resident of Yonkers for more than 60 years. “Our family has suffered a monumental loss, but we believe that heaven has gained an angel and that we will one day meet again.”
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