The Life Story of Zaki Shawareb

Zaki Huweishel Shawareb was born November 23, 1926 in Humood, Jordan. On January 21, 2018 he passed away peacefully at home with his family by his side, just as he had wanted.

He was the youngest of seven children. During his childhood he began to learn skills that served him later in life. As a child, Zaki would travel on his own to nearby villages to buy grapes and other fruits, and bring back to his own village to sell to people around him.

After finishing high school in Jordan, he became a surveyor, known for surveying much of Western Jordan. After gaining experience in Jordan, he took his surveying skills to the newly booming Saudi Arabia where he was fortunate to meet royalty, and more fortunate to meet two wonderful lifelong friends. After working for a number of years helping to develop the infrastructure of Saudi Arabia, he set out for the United States to fulfil his dreams.

He began in Southern California where he enrolled in California State Fullerton. While there, he was set up on a blind date with his future wife of 53 years, Betty. After completing his Bachelor's degree in Business, he and Betty set out for San Jose so they could both pursue their Master's degrees at San Jose State, his in Business Administration.

After completing his MBA, he worked at IBM in South San Jose, where he and Betty made a number of lifelong friends. His older son, Adlai, was born in 1969, and his younger son, Nadeem, in 1971. He rejoiced in being a father and always provided his sons with unconditional love.

After working at IBM, he became a mortgage broker and then started his company Mortgage Select Wide. During his 35 years as a mortgage broker he helped many families fulfill their American dream of home ownership. He was known for his work ethic and for getting tough deals done.

His zest for life and entrepreneurship was not limited to his mortgage business. He had a love of all things real estate, and he was willing to take calculated risks. He built two buildings, one in Silicon Valley, and one in Jordan. Though a better example of his willingness to take risks was his involvement in founding a chain of Tex-Mex Restaurants in Jordan called Houston's.

For many years, Zaki was on the Board of Directors of the Family Services charity, and Chaired the Board for a period. Family Services provided counseling and other services to low income families in need.

The missing pieces in his wonderful life were filled in in 2010 with the birth of his granddaughter, Summer, and in 2015 with the birth of his grandson, Miles. He rejoiced in seeing them grow and learn. He referred to Summer as, "Sweet Summer", and was always overjoyed to give her a kiss upon seeing her and saying goodbye. As for Miles, Zaki loved to sit in his recliner and watch Miles get out his seemingly infinite energy doing and saying silly things.

Zaki is greatly missed by many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends that appreciate his kindness, love, and support. Zaki is very much loved by his wife, Betty, his son, Adlai and his wife Shauna, his son Nadeem and his girlfriend Alison, and his much adored grandchildren Summer and Miles.