James Abraham Haddad, 84, of 208 35 ^th Street Dr SE, Cedar Rapids passed away peacefully on June 17, 2006 at St. Lukes Hospital.  Services: 10:00 am. Monday, June 19 at St. George Orthodox Church, 3560 Cottage Grove Avenue SE.  The Fr. Elias Khouri will officiate.  Burial will follow at St. George Cemetery, Cedar Rapids. Friends may call on Sunday June 18 from 4 to 7 pm at St. George Orthodox Church, a Trisagion Prayer Service will follow at 7:00 pm. Brosh Chapel in Cedar Rapids is in charge of arrangements.

Jim is survived by his wife, Betty (Ruffin) of 51 wonderful years.  He is also survived by his son, James Jr., daughter in law, Jo Ellen, and grandchildren, Anthony and Nicole (his two special loves in his life), a sister, Martha Haddad of Worcester Massachusetts, and brother/sister in laws, Fr. Tom Ruffin of Detroit, Sally Ruffin of Detroit, Velma Sleem of Oklahoma City.

Even though his immediate family was small, his extended family was large as Jim and Betty had 14 sisters/brothers between them, along with many nieces and nephews. They considered their Uncle Jim like a second father and he treated them as his own kids.

Jim was born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts where he met Betty when she visited her brother who was the church priest.  They were married in Oklahoma City in 1955 and lived in Worcester Massachusetts.  Shortly thereafter they moved back to Cedar Rapids to care for Betty's parents.  Jim worked for Northwestern Bell until he retired in 1983.  Jim was a simple, quiet man who put his faith and family above all else.  He lived his life with Christ and made sure his family followed his lead.  He worked tirelessly for St. George Church in many capacities.  His favorite function was being the superintendent of the church school for many years.

Jim's hobbies included cards, backgammon, and above all else, the Hawkeyes.  He rarely missed a home football game until age 80, and was always in charge of the tail gate, as it was his favorite part of the day.  The last game he saw in person was in Minneapolis 2002 with his son and grandson, when Iowa won the championship!

The family would like to thank Garnett Place, even though he was a resident for a short period, he enjoyed his new home.  We also want to thank the staff at St. Lukes Hospital, especially the Intensive Care Unit, for the special care given Jim during his stays.

To recognize his love for the children of St. George, family requests that all contributions be directed toward the St. George Scholarship Fund.