Jaoudat M. (Jim) Aboulhosn, 83, of Princeton WV died on December 18, 2018. Jim, started his life in a very unique way, while he was born on March 25, 1935 in Btekhnay, Lebanon, his birth was not registered with the authorities in Lebanon until April 4, 1935. So he has a real birthday and an official birthday. He was the son of the late Mahmoud Bahmed Aboulhosn and the late Hassiby Aboulhosn.

From a young age, Jim had a calling to help his family. When he was 15 years old, he left Lebanon and moved to Ghana on the African continent where he went to work with a relative to help send money back home to help his family. While in Ghana, he eventually owned his own business that varied from film making to a trucking company. After 11 years he went back to Lebanon for a visit and there he found the love of his life, his bride, May Aboulhosn. In those days, and in that culture, there was no dating. The Courting was brief and after discussions between their fathers, two weeks later they were married and spent their honeymoon at the Eden Rock Motel in Beirut, Lebanon. The marriage has endured for over 56 years. The love and devotion between Jim and May was, and has always been a wonderful thing for their children to witness.

After their wedding, Jim and May went back to Ghana for about a year before returning to Lebanon. In what Jim recognized as a God given gift, circumstances arose to where he and May were able to immigrate to the United States, arriving on October 31, 1964. He came to Princeton, WV with the intent of visiting his sister who got married while he was in Africa and for whom he hadn't seen in over a decade. His plan was to head to Florida to find a job and raise his family, however the Lord had other plans. A business, called the East River Drive-In located on the Oakvale Road in Princeton became available and Jim and May purchased that business and set up roots to raise their young family. Eventually, the business migrated to a restaurant and motel that Jim and May named the Eden Rock Motel and Restaurant, in honor of the name of their honeymoon location. The Eden Rock first started as a restaurant and small motel of 10 rooms. Eventually the Motel grew to 32 rooms and the restaurant became a cafeteria and oddly, a CB radio distribution and repair business. Jim's CB radio handle was "Country Cook". Jim only completed the 6th grade in school in Lebanon. But his family always remarked how he was the smartest 6th grader they knew. Jim and May eventually built an apartment building and became landlords as well. It was from these business that Jim and May raised their five children. Jim always told his kids that he never got to have the education that he would have liked and that each of his kids must attend college. He knew more than anyone, that education was the key to success. As a result of his influence in their lives, each of his children graduated college. From a 6th grader, he raised an Occupational Therapist Assistant (Jimmy), a Computer and Electrical Engineer (Willie), a Lawyer and Judge (Omar), a Doctor of Pharmacy (Susie) and a Physical Therapist (Leila).

In addition to his parents, his sister, Monira (Marie) Hamden and his brother, Issam, pre-deceased him.

He is survived by his devoted and loving wife, May. Jim and May could not have been a more perfect couple. Their love and devotion to one another was a wonderful testament to their children. Jim is also survived by his children, who are so very grateful that the Lord blessed them with Jim and May Aboulhosn as their parents. Khaleed (Jimmy) Aboulhosn, of South Charleston; Waleed (Willie) Aboulhosn of Princeton and his wife, Abir, and their children Kayla, Nadia, Saeed, and Sameer; United States Magistrate Judge Omar Aboulhosn of Princeton, and his wife, Weena and their daughter Emily; Soad (Susie) Aboulhosn Blanchard of Franklin, Tennessee, and her husband Norman Blanchard and their daughter, Keely; Leila Larson of Brentwood, Tennessee, and her husband Allen and their children Joseph, Isabella, Matthew and Luke. He is also survived by his brothers in the United States, Ziyad (Ed) Husn and his wife Peggy of Clarksville, TN, and Nabil Husn and his wife Hala, of Raleigh, NC. He is also survived by his sister, Amira who lives in Australia and his brother Hikmat and sisters, Samira and Jana who reside in Lebanon. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, and cousins who live all over the world. The Aboulhosn family is a large family that traces its roots back to the 1300's and the family originated from the small village of Btekhnay, Lebanon where Jim was born.

Jim, was the name he gave himself when he immigrated to the United States to make it easier for people to speak to him. He came here with very little in the way of worldly possessions, but he knew that the promise of this country was that if you worked hard, lived a decent and honorable life, that this country and its diverse people, would reward you and help you succeed. That is exactly what Jim and his family experienced. When one speaks of the American Dream, you can look to the life of Jim Aboulhosn and know that he lived the American Dream and the equally promising West Virginia Dream in Princeton, Mercer County, WV. In December of 2015, in recognition of his distinguished life, West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin named him a Distinguished Mountaineer.

Jim loved the United States of America and considered it a privilege to be called an American. This country, this state and this community was the place that he lived the longest in his long and productive life. It allowed him to raise his family and provide for their needs and their education. He often remarked that his life was blessed by God because when he looked back on how he got to where he was, he did not believe the could be successful were it not for the hand of divine intervention that helped him to succeed. One of the greatest blessings was finding the love of his life, May. The life they made together was certainly a life that only few get to experience. They were blessed beyond measure to have found one another. The second great blessing of his life were his children and his grandchildren who he loved more than himself. He selflessly gave of himself to make sure that they had every opportunity to experience all that life has to offer. He also considered living his life in this great country as a blessing as well.

Jim lived a long, full life. The world was a better place with him in it. While he may be absent from us as we journey through life, his family is confident in the promise that they will see him again. While he was born into the Druze faith, which shaped him and created the culture that all Druze recognize when they meet another Druze, he accepted the promise of eternal life and attended the Princeton Church of God since 2006. So while his family is sad that he is no longer with them, they are content in knowing that they will see him again.

Services will be held to celebrate the life of Jaoudat (Jim) Aboulhosn, on Saturday, December 29, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at the Princeton Church of God, 250 Oakvale Road, Princeton, WV with the Rev. William (Aboulhosn) Jaber, Rev. Dr. Ray Hurt, and Rev. Stella Falvo officiating. Visitation will be at the Church on Friday, December 28, 2018 from 5-8 pm. Burial will take place at Resthaven Cemetery. Following the burial, everyone is invited to return to the church's fellowship hall for dinner. The family would be honored with your presence to hear stories of their husband, brother, father and grandfather. Pallbearers will be his sons, Jimmy, Willie and Omar Aboulhosn; his sons-in-law Allan Larson and Norm Blanchard; his brothers Nabil and Ziyad Husn and Gary Cooper.

The Family would ask that in lieu of flowers, that memorial donations be made to the Eliza Hope Foundation www.elizahope.org by mail at 629 Phoenix Drive, Suite 115, Virginia Beach, VA 23452 or online at: https://www.classy.org/campaign/give-to-the-eliza-hope-foundation/c205780 in memory of Jim and May's grand-niece, Eliza Hope Darby. Eliza was the precious daughter of Jim and May's niece, Aimee Ackley Darby. Online condolences may be shared with the family via www.memorialfd.com. The Aboulhosn Family is being served by the Memorial Funeral Directory and Cremation Center on the Athens Road in Princeton.