Obituary of Farid Elias Bahou

It is with the deepest sorrow and sadness that the family of Farid Elias Bahou (1939 – 2025) announce his passing on October 7, 2025, in Port Murray, New Jersey. He was a man who loved his family and friends deeply and, in turn, was deeply loved by his family and friends. He was the devoted husband to his wife, Agnece, cherished father to Tarek and Natalia (Jim), adored grandfather to Sofia, Michael, Allie, and Nicole, beloved brother to his siblings, and most loved uncle to his many nieces and nephews.

Born in Haifa, Palestine, his youth was filled with hardships and adversity. However, never letting anything get in his way, Farid overcame hurdles, graduated from the American University of Beirut and went on to have a successful career in the Insurance industry. Farid traveled the world and experienced life to the fullest. He met his wife, Agnece, in Beirut, Lebanon where they married in 1975. There is no doubt that
those two shared the deepest love and strongest bond two souls could form. He was the most amazing father, blessing his children with a privileged life filled with love, laughter, experiences and strength. He was the absolute anchor to his family and friends.

There is no succinct way to list Farid’s many beautiful attributes. He was loving, kind, funny, intelligent, strong, honest, patient, dependable, understanding, and caring. He was all of that and more. He was the best listener and gave the best advice. He loved to play pranks and joke with everyone. He was the best storyteller who would regale his family and friends with his past experiences and amusing anecdotes. He created fanciful fairy tales that captured the ears of not only his grandchildren, but of any adult listening nearby. He was the center of attention at every party and always exhibited the best dance moves (or at least he thought he did). His love for collecting stamps was understood only by him, but he insisted that it was fun. He loved music and had the talent of knowing how to play most instruments. One would often find him playing piano with his brother, Nabil, who lived in Greece over Facetime. No amount of distance would keep him away from staying close to his family. His legacy will continue to live on as all of his family and friends will follow his conviction that nothing is more important than family and friends. He will forever live in all our hearts. He will be sorely missed.

No services will be planned as he chose that his family and friends celebrate his life instead of morning his death. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to “The Jerusalem Fund” in Farid’s memory.