Lily Azoury Khoury

Lily Azoury Khoury December 13, 1925 – May 26, 2016 Lily Azoury Khoury died peacefully in her home on May 26, 2016, at 90 years of age. Lily was a resident of Waco for almost 67 years, since her marriage to Ernest Khoury on July 31, 1949, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. A memorial service in celebration of Lily’s life will be held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Waco on Friday, June 3, 2016, at 2:00 pm, with a reception to follow. Born on December 13, 1925 as a Maronite Rite Catholic in Sidon, Lebanon, she moved to Beirut, Lebanon as a small child where she was raised and educated. Lily came from a prominent, highly educated family that regarded a good education as the most valuable commodity. Two of her brothers were physicians, and science, chemistry, and math were her predilections. During Lily’s primary education she was enrolled in French schools, where she was taught and became fluent in English, to go along with her Arabic native tongue. It was extremely impressive to witness, during her trips back to Lebanon, her converse in three different languages during the same conversation. She was athletic, played basketball and was a strong swimmer. After high school, Lily attended the American University of Beirut where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree, and where she subsequently earned a Masters Degree in Bacteriology on June 15, 1948. In September 1948 – as a single 22 year old woman, having never been to America — the Beirut Beauty was accepted to and enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin to study and pursue her PhD Degree in Bacteriology. As a vanguard to pioneering women, her decision to study in Austin was a testament to her fierce independence and recognition that a woman’s independence, at that time or anytime, was achieved through serious study and higher education. It was during her studies at UT that she met Ernest, which started one of the world’s great love affairs, that spanned more than 67 years and which lasts to this day. Armed with her faith and courage, she started her married life in Texas and became a U.S. citizen in 1953. Lily and Ernest where blessed with four children and ten grandchildren, whom she dedicated her life to. Lily embodied the term “Super Mom” before society recognized the phrase. Lily was always employed and practiced her profession while providing a home and raising her children. She worked as a lab technician and director for several local physicians at the time, including Dr. Lawrence Collins and Dr. Charles Marstaller. Subsequently, she became the lab director for the Tx. Dept. of Health, at the City of Waco, where she worked for 28 years until 1991. Despite working full time, Lily provided for all of her children’s needs, particularly those that she believed would cause them to be well rounded. She insisted that they be raised in the Church. She insisted that her children obtain college and post graduate degrees. She insisted that each child take and study piano, at least through high school. She wanted her children to be strong swimmers and swim on competitive swim teams. Each child took tennis lessons, were active members of the YMCA and YWCA, in addition to playing the sports du jour, such as baseball, football and basketball. In addition, the girls took dance and ballet classes from age 4 throughout high school. This all would culminate in Pamela having a successful 18 year career in musical theater on Broadway, Ernest becoming a Physician, with Stephen and Karen earning JD degrees from Baylor Law School. These successes, and the husband she adored, were extolled by Lily. However it was her cooking and hospitality that were legendary, in the truest Middle Eastern tradition. Lily mastered not only the mundane, everyday dishes, but had an exquisite hand with the delicacies, including Lebanese sweets. And if you ever awoke in the house on a Saturday morning when Lily was baking home-made Arabic bread, you would wonder that the transition between that good fortune and heaven, must be very slight. Lily is survived by her husband, Ernest; her son, Ernest, and wife Luann, grandchildren Matthew, Claire and Philip; Stephen, her son, and wife Lisa, grandchildren Caroline, John Stephen and Christopher; her daughter, Pamela, and husband Jim Stoye, and grandchild Marina; her daughter, Karen, and husband Lanny Houillion and grandchildren Zachary, Luke and Alec; and brother, Edmond Azoury, and wife Dolene, of Paris, France, and a score of nieces and nephews. The family will always be grateful to, and would like to thank Eva Cruz for the wonderful care, compassion, loyalty and love she gave to Lily for 11 years. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our “Memorial Guestbook” at www.WHBfamily.com.