A candle was lit by Rami, Sami, Imad and Raja
on January 29, 2018 7:27 PM
Message from Raja and Imad Hammoud
January 29, 2018 7:27 PM
Deer Jim, Gerlinde's family and loved ones: We send you our heartfelt condolences and prayers in this very difficult time. We all deeply miss Gerlinde. She was an amazing gift to everyone who got to be in her path, and we consider ourselves very fortunate to have experienced her.
I got introduced to Gerlinde in 2004, few months before my baby was born. As I sat with her, and watched how she interacted with the kids, I knew I found a gem. She wasn't just a great care provider, she connected with every child as if the child were her own. As we started visiting her everyday, we got to know her better and better. She was always so loving, caring, genuine, vibrant and happy. And on top of that, she was so incredibly organized with an amazingly clean place and impressive menu for breakfast/lunch and snacks for the kids. My baby was so happy there, and soon I brought my older child some days when he had school off. My older child fell in love with Gerlinde so much. He was always touched by her unbounded love, and couple years ago before he went to college, he asked me to take him to visit her. So we dropped by, and she welcomed us as Gerlinde and Jim always would. We all had such a blast with them, reminiscing over the old days and looking at an album after another of the kids. Gerlinde's face was glowing. She always had so much pride in all of the kids she cared for. She is one of these people who wasn't doing a job really, she was pursuing her passion - pure joy in caring for others.
We miss you very deeply Gerlinde and you will be forever in our hearts.