116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Nabil Khabbaz
NABIL ANTON KHABBAZ
Iowa City
Longtime college Professor Dr. Nabil Anton Khabbaz, 86, died peacefully Wednesday, July 28, 2021, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. He was passionate about education, Christianity and following the stock market. Graveside committal services will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 15, at Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City. Father Gary Beckman from St. Wenceslaus Church will officiate. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Iowa Lion's Eye Bank.
Nabil was born March 8, 1935, in Akka, Palestine, and migrated to the U.S. from Lebanon after high school to attend Bethel College in Kansas under the tutelage of Dr. Arnold Wedel. Nabil was the last surviving of five children born to Antone Khalil Khabbaz (father) and Mary Salah (mother). Nabil was one of the first members of the nationally prestigious Putnam Mathematics Competition and his score remains one of the highest since 1959. He graduated from Bethel College, went to Yale, finishing his master's in mathematics, and his Ph.D. at the University of Iowa in computer science. During his teaching career, he taught at Boston College, the University of Virginia and the University of Iowa.
His family would like to extend a deep thank you to Dr. Yousef Zakharia, UIHC, Dr. Keith Hanlon, West Music as well as his home health team Christian, Keeshia, Eileen and countless others who facilitated, honored and valued his independent thinking and lifestyle.
Nabil is survived by his son, Anton Nabil Khabbaz, and former daughter-in-law, Lidia Santarelli; and grandchildren, Clara and Leila Khabbaz of Princeton, N.J. He is also survived by his daughter, Rawan, and granddaughter, Ava Khabbaz of Boston, Mass. Members of the extended family live in the Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire areas.
Special mention goes to Anne Rizzo and her family of Iowa City, Dr. Matthew Rizzo, Ellie Rizzo and Devin DeLuna and Francesca Rizzo for their years of unwavering care, support, compassion, and devotion during such unprecedented times up until the day he passed.
Nabil greatly valued education for all ages, especially the youth, and significantly praised and appreciated this country for all the opportunities it offered him to actualize and blossom. He always took the time to thank everyone for the gracious gifts their lives brought to him.
Online condolences at www.lensingfuneral.com.
Daily Newsletters