Maruf Said Awad 1938-2021

He was born Oct. 7, 1938, in Al Muzeira, Palestine. He was the son of Said and Amneh of the Ramahi family.

Following his graduation from El Beireh High School, Maruf was a math teacher in Saudi Arabia for seven years. In July 1966, Maruf came to the United States on a student visa to attend Youngstown State University. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in 1971. In order to get his permanent U.S. residency, he purchased Park Avenue Golden Gate Supermarket in Youngstown as a foreign-owned corporation and began a lifelong career in the grocery business. In 1982, he purchased Windham Valu King, which later became Windham Sparkle Market, in Windham.

Maruf was a beloved supporter of the Windham community for 34 years. Growing up with little material wealth, Maruf had a great love of family, which gave him empathy to always want to help others like they were his own family. He was truly a selfless person. Although he never wanted any recognition in return, Maruf was honored numerous times for his community service. He was named an honorary member of the Windham Athletic Hall of Fame. Additionally, Len Rome of WKBN television did a segment on Maruf, naming him as Windham’s Hometown Hero. After closing Windham Sparkle Market in January 2016, Maruf continued working in the grocery business until his passing, working as a grocery manager at Parkman Road Sparkle Market. He always enjoyed having many of his former Windham customers stop in to visit him at Parkman Road Sparkle Market.

Maruf had a deep love of his family and of his Palestinian heritage. He was extremely proud of his entire family and cared for them greatly. He also enjoyed gardening and home projects.

Maruf is survived by his wife, the former Sherry Cipollone, who he married June 16, 1979. He is also survived by three sons, Mark of Bay Village and Samer and Tarik of Canfield; a sister, Samira; and a brother, Walied of Amman Jordan; a brother, Ghazi of Austintown; a sister-in-law, Nadia of Chicago; as well as by numerous nephews, nieces and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Marwan; and his sister, Fida.

A gathering of family and friends of Maruf will be held at the Arab-American Community Center, 15 Belgrade Ave., Youngstown, OH 44505, from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, March 14, 2021.

Burial will be in Greenhaven Memorial Gardens, 3495 S. Canfield Niles Road, Canfield, OH 44406, on Monday, March 15, 2021, following a Muslim prayer service at approximately 12:30 p.m., at the Islamic Society of Greater Youngstown, 535 Harmon Ave., Youngstown, OH 44502.

Please visit www.schiavonefh.com to share condolences.

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