Nadhim Haddad Obituary

Nadhim "Tony" Yousif Haddad, age 81, was born in Mosul, Iraq, on July 1st, 1944, and immigrated to the United States (Detroit, Michigan) on October 13th, 1967. He entered eternal rest on July 16, 2025, after living an amazing life and raising an amazing family in the City of Troy for over 46 years.

He was married for 57 years to his beloved wife, Beatris, whom he met in Baghdad, Iraq. He leaves behind four wonderful children, Joe (Manar), Layth (Lina), Nesreen (Firas), Maysum (Renee), and his niece, Maryann (Raied), whom he loved and considered to be his second daughter. He was a proud grandfather of 10 grandchildren and 4 great-nieces/nephews whom he also considered his grandchildren: Joseph, Jade, Olivia, John-Paul, Santina, Jonathan, Mark, Maria, Bryce, Adam, Maycee, Julia, Jenna, Lilyana. They affectionately called him "Papa" or "Jiddo" and were all well-versed in the "good family game," which is a phrase he coined when conveying to them the importance of love and respect when communicating with each other. They enjoyed his stories, his playing of the Middle Eastern version of the bongo drum, the "Doumbek", and the lasting image of him holding his beloved cigar while sitting around the fire pit overlooking Emerald Lake, which he had lived at for over 46 years. This beautiful home was also one of his crowning achievements, being able to purchase it for his family after immigrating to the United States only 13 years prior with $35 in his pocket, while working seven days a week for as long as we can remember.

One of the hardest things we have to do is speak about the loss of our father!

He was a man of Faith, he used his time to think about opening non-profit organizations to help feed the poor, and he would search for buildings whenever he was driving around doing errands. He was a person who, over the million miles of trucking, would evangelize by bringing church group-made rosaries and the little booklets on how to pray the rosary to people he met along the way. He brought so much comfort to people by teaching them about God. It didn't matter who the person was in front of him, at the end of the day, he made another friend. He would put his family first, and himself second! He also did this for strangers he met along his journey. If he saw a person at a gas station pumping gas in the cold, he would literally give them his hat or anything he had to keep them warm; that's just the man he was. He would go out of his way to help married couples and in doing so, saved many marriages. There wasn't a stronger person you could have on your side when you were doing the right thing. He was a True Follower of Saint Joseph for his family and others. He had the patience of Job in the utmost biblical sense. The Bible states, love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39) or "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40) Our father was that person, through and through! He always spoke of heaven and said whatever you do here on earth will be rewarded in heaven.

He so loved his wife Beatris "Honey", his children, his extended family, his friends, and the United States of America. He was very proud of his Iraqi heritage but always put America first! He was a true patriot, and you couldn't find a bigger supporter of our men and women serving in the Armed Forces. He was known for his volunteer service as a member of the US Army "Family Readiness Group" at both the Company and Battalion Levels, receiving the "Command Sergeants Major Award," which he was so proud of. He also loved the City of Troy, which he called home for over 46 years. He volunteered on numerous occasions with the Troy Police Department serving as an interpreter/translator during several investigations. He graduated from the Citizens Police Academy in 2001. He was also recognized by the Troy Police Honor Guard for his efforts during many fundraisers in support of the families of fallen officers.

Over the past 57 years, he has been a Store owner, a Restaurant owner, a Truck Driver (logged in over 1 million miles), and a Staff Member (campus aide) for the Troy School District, during which he served at Larson Middle School, and both Troy Athens and Troy High Schools. An Iconic figure, leading cheers like…" I say Red Hawks, You Say #1", at hundreds of athletic events, he was known to all as the "#1 Redhawk" with a personalized license plate to match, which read "Athens1". To many, he was like a celebrity, but to himself and those close to him, he was very modest, doing what he loved! In appreciation of his lifelong dedication to student athletes at both Troy Athens and Troy High schools, he was presented with a one-of-a-kind, combined Troy Athens/Troy High Varsity Jacket, which was given to him by the athletic boosters and student athletes upon his retirement. He gave a hundred percent in each of these jobs and lived by the motto he created when he first came to America, which was, "Happiness is #1", and that comes from love and respect. He would add that without "God and Respect", you have nothing! He was a man of Great Moral Character and lived up to these mottos each and every day!

He loved his "Grand Dogs," Creed, Gemma, and Leo, and never forgot how hard it was to lose our first family dog named Tasha.

One of his favorite pastimes was politics. He served as a precinct delegate for the Republican Party and participated in many local, state, and federal campaigns/elections. He embraced all that America had to offer and felt the need to give back in the form of dedicated citizenship in support of our great democracy!

He greeted everyone he met with a "Hello My Friend" or "Hi Habibi" and within minutes, you felt you had known him for years! Known by thousands and positively impacting so many, he will surely be missed but we will never forget his contributions to Faith, Family, and the United States of America!

Please pray for his soul and for all those whose lives he has touched.

We love and will miss you, Papa/Jiddo

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025, from 3-8 pm at A.J. Desmond & Sons (Price Chapel), 3725 Rochester Rd., Troy, MI 48083, (248) 689-0700.

The Funeral Mass will take place on Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025, at 10:00 AM, at St. George Catholic Chaldean Church located at 45700 Dequindre Rd, Shelby Township, MI 48317, followed by a burial service at Guardian Angel Catholic Cemetery, 4701 N Rochester Rd, Oakland Township, MI 48306

The family will be receiving condolences on Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025, at Sahara located at 2390 Metro Pkwy, Sterling Heights, MI 48310 (16 & Dequindre) from 3:30 PM to 7:30 PM.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in memory of Nadhim "Tony" Yousif Haddad to the Chaldean Charities of America, Chaldean Diocese of St. Thomas the Apostle, U.S.A

View Tony Haddad #1 Athens Red Hawks Fan & Memorial Page