GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Abe Abraham, the chairman of distributor S. Abraham & Sons Inc., passed away at on Jan. 29 at the age of 101.
Abraham was born in Rashaya, a small fishing village in Lebanon, on Aug. 21, 1912. His family migrated to Kansas in 1921 and moved to Grand Rapids, Mich., in 1925. He and his father established S. Abraham & Sons (SAS) in 1927.
Abraham was an officer in the U.S. Army, serving as a lieutenant in India during World War II.
On Nov. 2, 1947, Abraham married Adele Helen Kaleel of Spring Valley, Ill., and they raised four children.
For 85 years, he worked alongside his father, Sleyman, and brothers, James and Wade, to make SAS become one of the largest distributors of convenience store products in the country. Today, SAS is a wholesale distributor specializing in the convenience food industry, servicing retail stores throughout the Midwest. It distributes 12,000 items to approximately 3,600 convenience store and other retail customers in nine states, from two distribution centers.
Along with his wife, Abraham is survived by his son, Alan (Debbie), daughters Cheryl (Sam) Barkett, Carol (Peter) Assaly and Kaye (Mike) Powell; 10 grandchildren Kristen (Fadi) Baradihi, Philip (Mindy) Abraham, Jeffrey (Nicole) Abraham, Brittany Abraham, Lauren Barkett, David (Kate) Barkett, Allison Assaly, Meredith Assaly, Melissa Powell and Rick Powell;, and five great granddaughters, Elise Abraham, Rita Barkett, Lea Abraham, Maya and Natalie Baradihi; brother, Wade Abraham; sister, Dolores Bander; brother in law, Thomas (Eva Kaleel); and many godchildren, nieces and nephews.
Visitations will be Sunday, Feb. 2, and Monday, Feb. 3, at St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church in Grand Rapids. The funeral service will be Monday, Feb. 3.
CSP sends condolences to Abraham's family, friends and colleagues.
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