Mounir Ishak Faragalla's Obituary
Mounir Ishak Faragalla, age 97, of Frederick, Maryland, passed peacefully into the loving arms of his Savior on September 22, 2025.
Born on March 3, 1928, in Assuit, Egypt, he was the oldest of five children. The son of a traveling preacher, Mounir accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior at the age of 14. That decision began a lifetime of service for the kingdom of God. Mounir combined his faith with one of his passions, the theater. He began writing plays to be performed in his local church in Alexandria, Egypt, all with the sole purpose of pointing people to Jesus. His writing eventually expanded to countless books, radio and television dramas, film, meditations, Bible studies, and short stories. He continued writing well into his 80s, never using a computer but writing everything by hand.
After meeting and marrying his beloved Violet in September of 1958, they went on to have two children, Asser and Hani, and settled into life in Alexandria, Egypt; Mounir as a banker and Violet as a math teacher. But God had other plans. In 1968, Mounir and Violet led a group of young students to Lebanon for an evangelistic training seminar. This trip became a major turning point in their lives, as they encountered people who had never heard about Christ. They began to sense a call from God to leave their careers and devote the rest of their lives to telling people the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ. Together, they founded the CRU ministry in Egypt and traveled the world as full-time missionaries for over 30 years. They became affectionately known as "Uncle Mounir" and "Auntie Violet" by thousands around the world who tuned in to satellite broadcasts of plays, television shows, and radio programs that carried the message of Christ and Christian values. He also trained many young people in drama writing and preparing programs for Arabic-speaking countries. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, have been impacted by their ministry.
Upon "retiring" to the United States in 2003, Mounir kept writing, and they kept traveling well into their 80s. Their lives continued to be dedicated to ministry, which now expanded to their children, their wives, grandchildren, and those in the community. They could frequently be found at Panera, reading their Arabic Bibles, praying, and engaging people in Gospel conversations. As their health began to fade, writing and travel stopped, but their love for others continued. They settled into an assisted living facility and began to love those who now served them. Again, they were frequently found reading their Bibles, praying together, and talking about Jesus. Mounir's faith was greatly tested in February of 2020, when Violet went home to be with Jesus, but the strength and peace he displayed during the months and years following greatly impacted those around him. The staff who cared for him marveled at his strength and trust in God. He became the "mayor" of the facility and was promoted from "Uncle" to "Papa". He ran his race well until the very end.
He is survived by his sons, Asser Faragalla (Debbie) and Hani Faragalla (Lilian); five grandchildren, Danny (Molly), Nancy, Hannah, Michael (Kayla), and Samuel (Makayla, fiance); two great-grandchildren, Eden and Noah; his brother, Yousef Faragalla (Maha); and his sister-in-law, Amgad Mansour.
A service to celebrate Mounir’s life will be held on Saturday, October 4, at 11:00 a.m. at Mount Airy Bible Church, 16700 Old Frederick Road, Mount Airy, Maryland. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. A private burial will take place the evening before. A memorial service will also be held in Heliopolis Evangelical Church, Cairo, Egypt, on Saturday, October 18th, at 10:00 AM.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to CRU
https://give.cru.org/search-results.html?q=%202577876
The family wishes to extend their gratitude to Somerford House and Place in Frederick and Hospice of Frederick County.
"His master said to him, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master" ~ Matthew 25:21
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