Goodbye Mrs. Beidas

We regret to inform you that Mamduha Sbaiti Beidas, the former Director of the Elementary School and recipient of the Medal of Merit from the Ministry of Education, passed away on November 11, 2020 in the United States. Mrs. Beidas is survived by her husband of 59 years, Salah Beidas, her son Samer Beidas ‘80, her daughter Suha Beidas Zehl ‘82, and her 5.

Her family would like to share the following tribute by her daughter Suha.

As Robert Browning said “Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.”

I have so many loving memories of my Mom; if I were to write them all down, it would fill several volumes. I remember her tenderness and her tenacity. I remember her strength and her drive. I remember her patience and her kindness. But most of all, I remember her unconditional love and her compassion.

My earliest memories of my Mom are her laughter and her beaming smile. Oh, and her singing. She loved Fairuz and she would turn the radio on as soon as she woke up, much to our dismay back then.

One of my most treasured memories is our family trip to Italy in 2013. It was the first time our entire family took a trip together. We rented a villa in the Tuscany hills and had an amazing week. Watching my parents interact and get to know their grandchildren is a memory I will always cherish.

And then there was the professional side of my Mom - Mrs. Beidas as she was known to many.

After graduating from AUB in 1959, She started her career as a teacher at Beit Al Atfal before joining the IC family in October 1969. Her professional career took an unprecedented trajectory for the time. She became the Director of the Elementary School at the Mushref campus for several years before becoming one of the founding members of the Educational Resource Center (ERC), traveling all around the world to deliver teacher training programs, until 1985.

After several years in Abu Dhabi, my parents returned to Beirut in September 1993, where she took over the helm at the Elementary School, becoming its Director until her retirement in September 2004. She truly cared about her students and their well-being. She knew every student by name and loved them like her own children.

Mom’s impact on her family, friends, colleagues, teachers, and generations of IC students is evident in the outpouring of condolences and support our family has received since she passed away. Thank you!

Rest in peace, Mom. You will always, always be in our hearts.