Dr. Malouf Abraham Jr.

Dr. Malouf Abraham Jr. passed peacefully from this earth on May 5, 2025, at his Canadian, Texas, home with family by his side.

Memorial Services will be held on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at 1:00 PM at the Citadelle Gardens with Rev. Mert Cooper officiating. Cremation and arrangements are under the direction of Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors of Canadian.

Following the service, the family will receive friends at The Citadelle Art Gallery.

Malouf made his first appearance in the little town of Canadian on March 29, 1939. He was born in the first Canadian Hospital’s Fish Pond Room—the same room in which both of his parents were born—and was named for his father, Malouf “Oofie” Abraham Sr., whose parents had come from Lebanon through Ellis Island before settling in Canadian. His mother was Iris Lewis Abraham, whose parents—William Wesley and Minnie Bell (Phillips) Lewis—were ranchers and settled in Canadian in 1880.

In his early life, Malouf Abraham Jr., was referred to as "Little Oofie," though it soon became apparent that there was only one real "Oofie," and the diminutive name retired. Malouf and Oofie were both high achievers, but in quite different ways. In their house, Big Oofie would bring home the bacon and Iris would cook it. She took care of the house and kids while Oofie was out "beating the bushes" and bringing home "the bucks."

Malouf was a skinny little kid who, at the age of five, was given round wire-framed eyeglasses along with the admonition, "Now, don't you break your glasses." He didn't. Malouf thought of himself as an adult in a little skinny kid's body. He didn't want to play out in the yard with other kids because the adult conversations indoors were so much more interesting to him. He always said that World War Il was his childhood and believed that he "carried his family on his back through the War." He loved to be the Hero in any scenario. As children, his little sister Betty Lee or little brother Bill Ed would lock themselves in the bathroom and would cry to get out. After retrieving a ladder from the basement, Big Oofie would lift Little Oofie up into the laundry chute to crawl into the bathroom above, unlock the door and hence become the Hero. Perhaps that is why he later became a medical doctor — so he could be the Hero on a daily basis.

After high school, young Malouf decided he needed "hills, trees and architecture" in his life, so he headed for Trinity University in San Antonio. After two years there, he had the notion to apply to medical school—and was accepted to two out of three. On a coin flip, he chose Dallas’ Southwestern Medical School and its primary teaching hospital, Parkland Memorial, where he was the second-youngest student in his medical school class. Malouf was at Parkland Hospital when President John F. Kennedy and Texas Governor John Connolly were both shot. They were brought to Parkland Memorial, where Malouf remembers watching the president being wheeled in, and later, fetching First Lady Jackie Kennedy a cup of water.

Between his junior and senior years of Medical School, Malouf entered his "Gone with the Wind" phase, and decided he needed to explore the Deep South. The Duke Foundation assigned him to a six-week program at Cone Hospital in Greensboro, North Carolina. On Day One at Cone Hospital, Malouf spied sweet Therese Browne, the prettiest girl in town, standing there in her starched nurse's uniform from the Catholic School. His "impulsivity disorder" immediately kicked in. He walked right up to her face and said, "Hey, you know any cute girls?" Then, he took another step towards her and gave her a sweet little kiss right on the lips, before thinking, "What did I just do?" Three weeks later they were engaged to be married. After six months of Pre-Cana conferences, they were married in Holy Angels Catholic Church in Mount Airy, North Carolina.

Malouf's internship in Savannah, Georgia, was to have been followed by a surgery residency. Knowing that Malouf needed his patients awake and telling him how wonderful he is, God intervened in that plan by telling Uncle Sam to "draft Malouf" during the Vietnam War. Malouf was a doctor in the Strategic Air Command, which is where he started mixing little shots with dead germs to stimulate the immune system and subsequently received the Air Force Commendation Medal for his medical work.

After the Air Force, Malouf and Therese returned to his hometown, where he designed and built his medical clinic on the back corner of the Abraham Homeplace. He liked to think of his clinic as his "Shrine of Healing." People came from far and wide, mostly for allergy testing, and Malouf would often mix vaccines for them. After 30 years, he had accumulated 46,000 patient folders. In the early years of their marriage, three little boys arrived: Eddie, Salem, and Jason. They were big buddies and fun was had by all.

Malouf believes his crowning achievement was his marriage for over 60 years to the love of his life: Therese Browne Abraham. Through the decades, Malouf and Therese have been on “the same page.” Each year, the couple received ashes on their foreheads with the admonition, “Remember that you are dust and unto dust you shall return.”

That being the case, they agreed to invest their money in three things that would extend beyond their earthly lives: one, building a world-renowned art collection; two, historic preservation; and three, tree planting. Together, they received much-deserved recognition in each of those three areas.

In 1977, Therese and Malouf purchased the former First Baptist Church, a Canadian landmark, and gave it new life as their family residence. It served as their home for 30 years, after which they donated the mansion, the art, and the gardens for use as a public art museum and created The Citadelle Art Foundation to help share their blessings with generations to come.

Therese and Malouf both agreed that “their cup runneth over.”

The couple’s profound dedication to beautification and historic preservation can be found throughout Malouf’s hometown and beyond and will remain as a timeless inspiration for and challenge to generations to follow.

Dr. Malouf Abraham will be lovingly remembered by his siblings: Betty Lee and Mert Cooper, of Canadian, and Bill Ed and Margie Abraham of Crested Butte, Colorado; three sons and their wives: Eddie and Dawn Abraham, Salem and Ruth Ann Abraham, and Jason and Bonnie Abraham; thirteen grandchildren: Kate Abraham, Maddie and Rily Urban, Luke Malouf and Alison Abraham, Mitchell Abraham, Claire Abraham, Lewis and Elise Abraham, Robert Abraham, Alice Abraham, Ann Marie Abraham-Botero and Dan Botero, Grace Abraham, Ellen Abraham, George Abraham, and Audrey Abraham; and three great grandchildren: Easton and Briggs Urban, and Augustus Malouf Abraham.

Malouf was preceded in death by his loving wife of over 60 years, Therese Browne Abraham; by his parents, Malouf “Oofie” and Iris Abraham; by his grandparents, Nahim and Alia Abraham; and by uncles Edward Abraham, Tom Abraham, and Naceeb Abraham.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Malouf’s name to:

The Citadelle Art Museum, 520 E Nelson Ave, Canadian, TX, 79014,  www.thecitadelle.org/donate, or

St. Jude’s Children Hospital, www.stjude.org/give.

Sign the online guest register at www.carmichael-whatleyofcanadian.com