Celmira Saade

Celmira Saade, age 84, of Lincoln Park, passed away peacefully at home on Friday, April 1, 2022, while in the loving presence of her dear family.

Celmira was the youngest of eight children born to Demetrio and Noemi (Habeych) Namen. She was born in El Banco, Colombia and raised in Barranquilla.

Celmira was the beloved and adored wife of Moises Saade who passed away in July, 2010. Celmira met Moises for the first time through her uncle who was friends with Moises. One day, they were all on a ferry headed for the city when Moises spotted Celmira. He asked her uncle if he would be willing to introduce her to him. They began dating and Celmira’s family liked Moises so much that they did their best to arrange for them to be married. Celmira didn’t need any outside convincing to know that she and Moises loved each other dearly. They exchanged marriage vows on Saturday, January 12, 1957 in Barranquilla and honeymooned in a nearby destination called Sierra Nevada.

Moises was a rancher and rice grower by trade. To be in close proximity to his work, Celmira and Moises started married life living in a town called El Reten. It was a small, quiet, country town with dirt streets. Celmira missed the city life of Barranquilla very much, but she loved Moises more than any desire in the world and so she obliged. They did eventually move to Barranquilla where Celmira lovingly embraced and fulfilled her role as homemaker and mother to her and Moises’ children. Then, on October 3, 1970, the family boarded a plane headed for the United States in a quest for different opportunities. Although the plan was to come for a set period of time and return to Colombia, destiny had different plans.  They initially settled in Paterson and lived there until moving to Lincoln Park twenty-seven years ago.

Celmira was an outstanding homemaker whose main desire to make her home a welcoming, loving and safe abode was motivated by a pure heart of love for her family. One of her greatest examples of this love was expressed through her skills in the kitchen where she created delicious meals for them. Her family all had personal favorites; her daughter Marta’s favorite recipe was Mom’s Kibbeh, her son Ed especially loved her Sancocho, daughter Celmira got most excited about her Shrimp Rice while daughter Ivonne’s favorite was her flan. As for Celmira’s husband Moises, he would always say that “everything that my wife makes is delicioso.” When she wasn’t in the kitchen, Celmira could frequently be found shopping at Lord and Taylor, Bloomingdales, Macy’s or one of her other favorite department stores. She had a true flair for fashion! Taking great pride in her appearance she was often described as someone put together well and her outfits always had to match with nothing less than impeccable being acceptable. She was a regular in the cosmetics department at Macy’s where everyone knew her on a first-name basis.

Above all else, Celmira’s faith and family were the most important things in her life. She was a faithful catholic who, along with Moises, enjoyed and were always blessed by going to Mass at St. Joseph’s church, their hometown parish. Times spent with family were most precious to Celmira. She, Moises and the kids enjoyed annual summer vacations down the Jersey shore in Wildwood, and she and Moises made regular trips back to Colombia to visit family to enjoy company of their many siblings along with nieces and nephews. Another of their favorite things to do together was taking road trips. Thanks to those road trips, they got to see most of the United States while enjoying the pleasure of each other’s company. She also considered her eight grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren one of life’s greatest blessings. To them she was “Mami Chemi” and “Mama Celmira” and she derived as much joy investing in their lives as she did investing in her own children’s lives. When they were young, she was the proudest a person could be showing them off at the town pool and she loved it when they came on the Wildwood vacations. When they visited her house in Lincoln Park, she’d often take them to Frank’s Pizza and she loved telling them stories about her life in Colombia and about her brothers and sisters. As the years passed and everyone got a little older, the roles changed as her grandchildren would lovingly food shop for her or drive her to the beauty salon to get her hair and nails done. Celmira and Moises enjoyed so many beautiful years in their loving marriage as husband and wife. With good reason, Moises always treated her like the queen he truly believed her to be. They adored each other and since Moises’ passing twelve years ago, she missed him incredibly.

There’s one other facet of Celmira’s life that she was rather passionate about. She loved to dance and sing. For years, she and Moises got together with friends on Friday nights to go dancing, and singing was a life-long passion. As a little girl, she wanted to become a professional singer but cultural norms would not allow that. That was ok but it couldn’t keep the songs in her heart from passing across her lips. Consequently, Celmira was known for her spontaneous singing and one never knew when she’d break out in song. It was known to happen at Spanish restaurants that she’d start singing and the next thing you know, the Mariachi Band was at her table serenading with her. Singing gave her joy in times of sadness and since Moise’s passing, she would often sing a song called Si Nos Dejan. She was singing that song as recently as the other day in the ambulance as it transported her home from the hospital and just the day before her passing while at home in bed.

Celmira’s life on earth is now over but her legacy will go on and on through her positive influence on her family. She was a strong leader who guided her family, sometimes with a strong will, but always with a desire for the best for them, rooted in a sincere and evident love.    
Celmira was the beloved wife of Moises, blessed in marriage for 53 years until his passing in July, 2010. She was the most loving mother of: Marta Berrios of Katy, Texas, Edgardo Saade and his wife Kim of West Milford, Celmira Nasuto of Lincoln Park, and Ivonne Zorrilla and her husband Moises of Totowa; cherished grandmother of: Michelle and husband Rick, Mario and wife Linda, Moises, Zyad and wife Sarahrose, Janelle and husband Travis, Stephanie, Alexandra, and Jennifer; adoring great-grandmother of: Diego, Aiden, Rick, Caleb, Isabella, Ava, Elias, Liliana, Iohan, and Jason; and dear aunt of many nieces and nephews. She was also predeceased by all of her brothers and sisters: Yamel, Josefina, Isabel, William, Yudex, Antonio, and Elba; and by her two son-in-laws: Manuel Berrios and Charles Nasuto.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Celmira’s name are asked to consider:

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Memorial Processing,
501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105-9959