Violette Farha Ammar

Ammar, Violette Farha, of Wichita, KS (born February 15, 1926), passed away Wednesday, January 9, 2013. Originally from the small village of Jdeidet Marjeyoun in Lebanon, Violette was the sixth of eight children born to Jamil and Wadia Farha; her surviving siblings - Georgette Hourani, George Farha, and S. Jim Farha - all reside in Wichita. She is preceded in death by her husband, Shafeek Alex Ammar, whom she married in 1949 before relocating from Beirut, Lebanon, to Oak Hill, WV. After moving to Pulaski, VA, in 1957, the young couple opened their first of several clothing stores: Alexs (for men, named after their son) and Sandras (for women, named after their first daughter). In 1976, they moved their family and businesses to Wichita, opening both Alexs and Sandras in the Eastgate Shopping Center. Several years later, they combined the name and created AlexSandras, a womens clothing boutique that became one of the first privately owned stores in the Midwest to carry couture fashions from Europe. It was through her business that she met many of her closest friends, both longtime patrons and dedicated employees. Violette was a first-rate cook, feeding her immediate and extended families with Lebanese delicacies - recipes passed down to her from various relatives, especially her mother-in-law, Sadie Ammar. In recent years, she taught those same recipes to her grandchildren with a firm belief in old-world techniques and artistry. Violette is survived by her four children, Alex D. Ammar and his wife, Pamela, Sandra Steven and her husband Joe, Dianna Steven and her husband, Brad, and Melinda Hutchinson all of Wichita. She is also survived by her 10 grandchildren, Alex S. Ammar, Jasmin Steven Rupp, Chad Ammar, Shae Steven, Steven Hutchinson, Matthew Hutchinson, Timothy Hutchinson, Stephanie Steven, Lauren Hutchinson, and Maddie Steven; as well as her great-granddaughter, Harper Rupp. May her memory be eternal. Trisagion and funeral service 7 p.m., Friday, January 11, St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral (7515 E. 13th St., Wichita, KS 67206). Interment 9 a.m., Saturday, January 12, Old Mission Mausoleum (3424 E. 21st St., Wichita, KS 67208). Memorials may be sent to St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral.