Lafi I. Jafari
October 2, 1943 - May 30, 2020

"i remembered lafi from when i was a child living in one of his houses on the same street. My father Robert Anderson was a firefighter and when he had his days off he would work for lafi. Until the day he retired from the firefighters he then worked for lafi full time for many years him becoming the boss and running the company he and lafi were really close friends. I used to work for him and when pay day came he would pay every worker with 2 dollar bills. He used to give out king size candy bars on halloween and give out money. He was a very respectful and caring guy and will be sadley missed. RIP lafi"

"What a great person. This is an example of someone who cared about his fellow man."

"When i was a teenager i worked at a donut shop in Florence and Lafi would come in and have donut and visit. And when he left he would always leave a tip with $2 bills. He was a very friendly gentleman and was always pleasant. So sorry for your loss "

"Our family became acquainted with Lafi in the 60's through Bill McMains. Bill was our relative and visited on holidays and brought Lafi with him several times. I marveled at Lafi's athletic ability, as he would take off from our farm and run the country roads - and he ran hard, or sometimes biked. He was a tremendous personalty and had a great sense of humor. I think we have a super 8 film of him tying my grandfather Nate in bed as he took a nap on Sunday afternoon. When Nate woke up, the chase was on, but no way was Grandpa going to catch Lafi. I also remember visiting him in Omaha once and he took my family and several other aunts, uncles, and cousins to Mr. C's for dinner - a really fun time. He visited my parents from time to time and always left a stack of 2 dollar bills whether or not they were home. I think the last time I visited with him was at a restaurant in Seneca, KS. He'd taken Mom and Dad out to eat and we stopped when we happened to be driving home from a KSU game. Again, he left all the waitresses large tips in 2 dollar bills. Our family will miss him."

"My heartfelt sympathy and prayers to the family, May the family receive much comfort as you pour out your hearts to God in prayer along with the prayers of many others. Psalm 102:1"

"From Zaher & Dana Serhan I first met Lafi in November 1995, 5 days after arriving in the US from Lebanon... Only 22 years old at the time and with only $150 I was looking for a job to pay my college tuition... Lafi and I met at the famous , now closed, Mr Cs Restaurant (Lafi?s favorite) and he offered me a job right away...he was well known for helping out all the Arab students that came to Omaha and offering them jobs.... Even though the work environment was harsh with the cold winters and extremely hot summers I was learning so much from Lafi. I worked for Lafi for 9 years moving up from a worker to becoming his property manager. Lafi gave us our first loan to pay our wedding expenses and helped us with the down payment from our first home. Without him we wouldn?t be where we are today. Lafi was not just my boss but he was like a father to me....even after we parted ways we maintained a great relationship and would frequently go out on lunch dates together. His kindness and generosity was always there..wherever we would see him...he would insist to give the kids his famous $2 bills...or pay for someone?s groceries, or giveaway turkeys at Thanksgiving. Anyone that visits his office would leave with trays of baklava, or jackets, or blankets...his generosity was beyond normal. His kind spirit was also evident in the many squirrels, pigeons and cats he fed and took care of. He was definitely a larger than life personality that left an impression on many people for generations.... My wife Dana and I and our kids are eternally grateful to Lafi....and he will forever be in our hearts and mind....he will never be forgotten."

"From Kamal Samhan ?I became Lafi?s friend when we met in school at the age of 7. Lafi lived in my neighborhood, and in those days we all played outside, unsupervised, making up games, until the sunset. Anyone who knows Lafi knew what a star athlete he was. His skill and talent was unmatched. In cross country, Lafi always came in first?in the school, in the city and in all of Palestine/Jordan. He was so fast and so strong, no one bothered to wait for the runner up. All his friends admired Lafi for his athletics, but I also admired him for being studious. Often, if there was not enough fuel at home to do his homework, I would find him sitting on a rock near our house reading his books by the light of the street lamp. He was determined and hardworking from a young age. Lafi left the West Bank at the age of 16 to come to the U.S. and while I came two years later, we lost touch. I settled in Washington DC to study, and one day, in the mid 1970s, I was at the office of the Palestine Liberation Organization and met Jaafer, his nephew, who was passing our questionnaires that were part of Lafi?s doctoral research in education. I filled out the questionnaire and included my telephone number, and eventually Lafi called and we reconnected after almost 15 years. I got married in the early 1980s and would see Lafi when he would come to visit his sister and her family. We got to know his sons, who both spent time in the DC area. My kids, Leila and Ziad, got to know ?Amo Lafi and looked forward to his visits. In the late 1990s, when Leila was learning to drive, Lafi lent us an Oldsmobile Cutlass for her to practice on; I don?t think she has driven such a big car since, but it gave her all the confidence she needed to be a careful and cautious driver. In the summer of 2000, Lafi and I went on a tour of Europe together?visiting France, Italy and Spain?just the two of us. It was a wild 6 weeks of unscripted adventure, and traveling with Lafi is always an adventure. When we came across groups of American tourists, Lafi would always shout ?Any Corn Huskers here?? in reference to his home state?s team. Occasionally he would find a fellow husker, but mostly he enjoyed just meeting people?American tourists, Arab vendors, strangers on trains?what was important was that Lafi was always making connections. His famous $2 bills came in handy at many a hotel that seemed fully booked, until Lafi proffered his favorite denomination that looked like Monopoly money, but often did the trick. Of course our family will always remember Lafi for his gregarious good humor and generosity. We saw him more when both his sons were working in the DC area, and for a while, Majed and my wife Helen worked in the same office. Sometimes?often--Lafi?s visits came unannounced; we would find out he is in town by the ?calling card? he would leave in the mailbox?a hastily scribbled greeting attached to neatly sealed bank envelopes of crisp $2 bills?the indelible sign that Amo Lafi never forgets his friends. May his soul rest in God?s peace and may the Jafari family be comforted. There is a big hole in our hearts without him.? "