Laila Dabeet, 65, passed away on Wednesday, November 22, 2023, at her Lutheran Living.
Funeral service will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, at the Ralph J. Wittich-Riley-Freers Funeral Home. Reverend Symeon Kees will officiate. Burial will take place in Greenwood Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Loureen Dabeet, Albert Dabeet, Jesse Dabeet, Antonio Dabeet, Nabeel Dabeet, and Anton Dabeet.
Visitation will be held from 4 until 6 p.m. on Monday, November 27, 2023, at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to Lutheran Living Senior Campus. Online condolences may be made at www.wittichfuneralhome.com.
Laila was born on September 18, 1958, in Ramallah, Palestine, the daughter of Antone and Aida Dabeet.
She was the executive director of Business and Economics at Bir-Zeit University in Palestine for 40 years. Laila was a board member for Bir-Zeit Union University, founder and board member of The Child Society Center in Ramallah, the highest-ranking female scout in the country of Palestine, an active political leader in the Palestine Peoples Party, and a board member of the Orthodox club in Ramallah.
Laila dedicated her life to justice and to the community. She advocated for women’s rights and was known for her kindness and her strength. She loved shopping, traveling, writing, and was a foodie. Most importantly, she loved her daughter.
She is survived by her daughter, Loureen Dabeet (Sayej) a Palestinian Diplomat at the United Nations, New York; her mother, Aida Dabeet of Muscatine; and four siblings, Elias Dabeet of Muscatine, John Dabeet and wife, Abeer, of Muscatine, Jalal Dabeet and wife, Faten, of Palestine, and Anestas Dabeet and husband, Yacoub, of Muscatine.
Laila is preceded in death by her father, Antone Dabeet; and sister, Linda Dabeet.
