It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our beloved Nabil Alsalek on September 13, 2026, following a tragic accident. Nabil led a life defined by his strong faith, devotion to his family, and a genuine love and respect for everyone.

Nabil was born in Rakham, a small village in southern Syria. He was the eldest son of Jamil Alsalek and Mariam Awad, and he had eight siblings, whom he helped raise. His family moved to Damascus in the late 1950s where he completed his education and earned a B.S. degree in Agricultural Engineering in 1976.

Nabil met his best friend and spouse of 43 years, Sogha, while preparing a mercy meal for a relative who passed away. He started pursuing Sogha thereafter. After many noes, Sogha finally agreed to give him a chance. They got to know each other, fell in love, got engaged, then married in August 1983 at the Holy Cross Orthodox Church in Damascus, Syria.

Nabil and Sogha settled in Daraa to start a family and for work. In his personal life, Nabil became a father to four children whom he cherished and raised to be successful adults that made him proud. He was a loving and supportive father who encouraged his children to reach for the stars, and so they did: Nancy is a civil engineer; Jamil is an architect, Natalie and Mirna are both pharmacists. Nothing brought Nabil greater joy than spending time with his family and especially his grandchildren Philip, Melanie, and Maya.

Professionally, Nabil worked different jobs throughout his career in Syria. During his time at an agricultural pharmacy, Nabil was an expert on fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, plant hybridization, and animal control in farms. He also worked as an instructor of agricultural machinery in a community college program. Additionally, he traveled to Germany and Tunisia to train at the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), for which he composed several instruction manuals on different agricultural topics for FAO.

Immigrating to the United States was a pivotal decision in Nabil’s life. All he wanted for his children was to have a better future. Nabil moved to Murrieta, California in 2008, in close proximity to his siblings. In the U.S., Nabil held odd jobs as a gardener and handyman, while providing care for his aging father, may he rest in peace.

Nabil’s love for serving God was ignited at a young age, and he made it his life mission to show everyone Christ’s teachings by the actions he took, not by words; he saw the good in everyone. As a child, Nabil served as an altar boy in church, and in adulthood, Nabil worked closely with Metropolitan Saba on different programs in the church while still in Syria. He volunteered as an accountant for a day care run by the church and as an associate in the “Food for all” program, to name a few. In the U.S., Nabil continued to assist priests in the Divine Liturgy, and he also volunteered at a food bank to help with preparation and distribution of meals to those in need. Mind you, Nabil’s English was not strong because he was hard of hearing, but he did not stop or hesitate to push himself to help others despite the language barrier. The saying goes: “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Nabil most definitely had the will to help, and he found a way to do it.

Unfortunately, Nabil had several challenges that negatively affected his physical health, but, at the same time, strengthened his spiritual journey. Nabil endured much physical pain due to his cancer treatments, surgeries, and other health complications. His faith in Christ was the cornerstone of his fight, and he beat cancer twice! He was always accepting of the Lord’s will, never complained, and never stopped praying.

Nabil was cancer free for a short time before he was unexpectedly taken from us. He was getting back into doing the things he loved such as spending time with family, walking at dawn, and gardening. He LOVED flowers, and he had a huge collection of flower pictures (flowers he’d grown or came across on walks). Every morning, he would share a new flower picture with his family and friends along with a positive message to start the day.

Nabil is survived by his wife of 43 years, Sogha, his children: Nancy (her husband Majd Kneher), Jamil, Natalie, and Mirna (her husband Edgardo Rivera), three grandchildren Philip and Melanie Kneher, and Maya Rivera, and his siblings: Nabeela, Inssaf, Manwa, Najwa, Najah, Munif, Emad, Nizar and their families.

Nabil will be remembered for his strong faith in Christ, humility, generosity, selflessness, compassion, honesty, devotion, and his deep love for family. Though he will be greatly missed, Nabil’s legacy lives on in the family he cherished, the lives he touched, and the countless memories shared by those who were fortunate enough to cross paths with him.

The messages we received from around the world mourning Nabil are testaments to his character as an individual whose memory will live for ages. We take solace that Nabil passed from this life doing one of the things he loved, walking at dawn.

May he rest in peace. Eternal be his memory!

P.S.

If you know Nabil, you know that he has forgiven the person involved in this accident.

We pray for her to find peace, and we hope that she uses this incident as an example to advocate for road safety.