Giselle Kotait

May 29, 1933 - December 9, 2020

Giselle Kotait, 87, of Gainesville, Florida, died Wednesday, December 9, 2020, in the North Florida Regional Medical Center, Gainesville, following a short illness. Mrs. Kotait was born in Lebanon on May 29, 1933. She came to the United States in 1980. She will be remembered as a loving wife to her husband of 56 years, Nassib Kotait, who preceded her in death in 2002; a loving mother and grandmother, who loved nothing more than spending time with her family. Mrs. Kotait was an artist with needle and thread, there was nothing she could not fashion, extending up until her final days. She loved to cook and serve, always putting everyone else before herself. One of her great loves was the Holy Bible and her dedication to the Holy Rosary, and she was a longtime active member of the Queen of Peace Catholic Community. She was preceded in death by two children, Walid Kotait in 1983 and by Michael Kotait in 2019. Survivors include her daughters, Tahany Kotait, of Gainesville, Hafiza (Robert) Nasr, and Randa (Chafic) Abi Road, both of Lebanon and Maha (Emil) Belibasis, of Gainesville; two sons, David (Virginia) Kotait, of Gainesville and Elias (Shannon) Kotait, of Richmond, VA; a brother, Atef Hazar, of Binghamton, NY; two sisters, Elham (Robert) Laham, of Wichita, KS, and Leila Haidar, of Lebanon. Sixteen grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren also survive. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Monday, December 14, 2020, at 10:00 A. M., in the Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 10900 SW 24th Avenue, Gainesville, with Fr. Al Esposito and Fr. Anthony Hamaty, celebrants. Interment will follow in Memorial Park Central. There will be a visitation and rosary service prior to the mass, beginning at 9:00 in the daily chapel. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or to the Queen of Peace food bank, 10900 SW 24th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32607.