Elvira Sawiris Awad, 92, passed away on Friday, April 24, 2020 at 2:03 a.m. of Covid-19 at the Mennonite Memorial Home, Bluffton.
She was born on July 30, 1927, in Assuit, Egypt to the late Nashid and Zahia (Daguish) Sawiris. She was previously married to Albert Awad who preceded her in death.
Elvira received a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Cairo University. She immigrated to the United States in late 1961 and then earned her Master’s Degree in Economics and a minor in labor management from the Ohio State University in 1966 while raising 3 children under the age of 6.
She then moved to Ada in 1966 and became a naturalized US citizen in 1972. While living in Ada, she received a Social Work Degree from Ohio Northern University with a major in Geriatrics & Social Services.
Elvira loved her work serving others as a licensed geriatric social worker. She worked for Hardin County Job and Family Services starting in 1967.
In 1990, she transitioned to the Hardin County Probate Court, where she worked until she retired in 2010 at the age of 82.
Over her career, Elvira served on several advisory boards including the Crossroads Crisis Center and the Area Mental Health Board. She was appointed as an honorary ombudsman for the Ohio Association of Long Term Care. In 2010,
Elvira was honored by the National Adult Protective Services Association as the National Social Worker of the Year.
Elvira is survived by three children: Dr. Joseph (Jane) Awad, MD of Nashville, Tennessee, Mimi Awad, of Oak Park, Illinois, and Samuel (Kathy) Awad of Hinsdale, Illinois; and five grandchildren: Peter, Sarah Jane, and Thomas Awad and Joe (fiancé Ashley) and Anna Marie Awad. Elvira was preceded in death by one brother and eight sisters.
Elvira was a lifetime member of the Ada Presbyterian Church. It was her request to be cremated. Services will be scheduled at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Hardin County Council on Aging.
