Obituary of Raymonde George
Raymonde George, 88, of Somerset, New Jersey, passed away peacefully on the morning of July 31, 2024. Born in 1935 in Cairo, Egypt, Raymonde was a woman of intellect, style, and ambition who was completely devoted to her family. She earned a bachelor's degree from Ain Shams University in Cairo, where she was raised and then started her own family with her beloved husband Azmy, who predeceased her in 2016 after having spent 55 loving years together.
The couple embarked on the adventure of a lifetime in 1970, leaving Cairo with their two young children to settle in New Jersey in search of a more prosperous and fulfilling life. Over the years, Raymonde and Azmy lived in Elizabeth, Hillside, and Tuckerton before eventually calling Somerset home to be closer to their children. Raymonde spent over 30 years at Ce De Candy, Inc.(the Smarties manufacturer) in Union, where she started as a file clerk before inevitably ascending to the role of Controller—a feat reflective of her methodical commitment to her work and unsurprising to anyone who knew her well.
Raymonde was a woman of deep faith and a devout congregant of St. Mary & St. Athanasius Coptic Orthodox Church in Hillsborough. She loved cooking, baking, sewing, knitting and crocheting—especially when done for the benefit of her children and grandchildren. News of any new addition to the family was always met with a fully hand-knitted baby blanket in blue or pink—or both, if it was too early to tell and she was up for the challenge. Much to the chagrin of other seniors in the Tri-State area over the last few decades, Raymonde was incredibly skilled with a bingo dauber in her hand and always enjoyed sharing her love for card- and tile-based games like canasta, mahjong, backgammon, and Rummikub with anyone naïve enough to think they stood a chance against her. She loved long nights in Atlantic City decked out in a bedazzled jean jacket playing slots with her sister, eating crabs dockside with her family over a Cape May sunset, and of course—telling it like it was to anyone who needed to hear it. Whether you think you needed to hear it or not was irrelevant.
Raymonde leaves behind a long legacy of love, laughter, and devotion to her children, Atef George (Joy), Amal Festa (Andrew), her cherished grandchildren, Andrew (Jenna), Alexandria, Gina, Christopher, and great-grandchildren Tessa, Zoe, and Theodore.
Visitation will be held on Friday, August 9, 2024 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Higgins Home For Funerals, 752 Mountain Blvd., Watchung, New Jersey. A funeral mass is scheduled for Saturday, August 10, 2024, 9:00 a.m., at St. Mary & St. Athanasius Coptic Orthodox Church, 211 US Highway 206, Hillsborough, New Jersey. Interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield, New Jersey.
Raymonde will be remembered for her strong will, deep faith, genuine kindness, selfless generosity and mostly, for her undying love of her family.
