Onsy Y Makar

Onsy Yacoub Makar, age 87, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Friday, September 16, 2022. Born in Assyut, Egypt on September 6, 1935, he was the son of the late Yacoub Makar and Ellen Bishay Awad.

Raised in Assyut, he had many talents and enjoyed time with those he loved above all else. From riding his off-white Vespa throughout Assyut in the 1950s to his achievements in swimming and gymnastics, Onsy was well known in his home town. He was a champion swimmer and diver with the Baladeya Club as well as a champion gymnast with the YMCA. There, the club’s manager Mr. Zaher Habib dubbed Onsy as “Onsy el Batal” or “Onsy the hero”. Onsy was on track to compete on behalf of Egypt in the 1952 Summer Olympics: Games of the XV Olympiad Helsinki. In his free time, he also maintained an atelier where he would paint and do woodwork before serving in the Egyptian Armed Forces, Naval Division which is the largest navy in the Middle East. After graduating from the Faculty of Agriculture Alexandria University, he married the love of his life Samia (Grace) Makar (“Suzy”) on January 9, 1969.

The two immigrated to the US and made their home in Framingham, MA where Onsy became and remained a foundational member of this large but very close knit Egyptian community. His gift of understanding people and situations helped him seamlessly merge the culture he left behind with his new and evolving life in Massachusetts. Whether in social settings, work settings or in church services, his beautiful mix of kindness, love and humor would make everyone smile and uniquely feel welcomed. He was treasured by all and wise beyond his years which made him an incredible father to his two daughters, their friends and ultimately all the grandchildren to come. 

When he wasn’t with his family, Onsy built his career in Ink Chemistry. Before retiring in 2004, he consulted across the US and Europe with multiple trips to Pennsylvania, Chicago and Amsterdam. While he was most known for inventing the heat transfer label, he ended his career with 11 US Patents in ink chemistry, making him extremely well respected within his niche industry. Still, Onsy always preferred to be with his family and was always seen at his daughters’ extracurricular activities and sports games. 

At home, Onsy was an avid reader, often reading his Bible and books on faith and poetry. He loved deep conversations and cherished time in the kitchen as well as getting lost in the voice of Andrea Bocelli while in his art studio. And he was a tremendous painter, sketcher and sculpturer. Most known for his oil paintings, Onsy enjoyed still-life paintings followed by scenes from the Bible (often marking those paintings with Bible verses) followed by landscapes and cityscapes - his daughters’ favorites. He was known to gift his art to those he loved most. Most importantly, he made sure to paint a painting with each of his grandchildren before he passed. All his talented pieces remain cherished until today.  

Above all else, Onsy was married to Suzy for 53-years and the two loved each other very much. Over the last nine months while Onsy underwent significant health issues, his wife never left his side. Onsy is the loving father of Nashwa  (“Nash”) Onsy Yacoub who is married to Dr. Tamer Yacoub of Sharon, MA and the father of Rania Makar Mankarious who is married to Dr. Ramy Mankarious of Houston, TX. He is the absolutely cherished grandfather of Nicholas George Yacoub, Olivia Grace Mankarious, Emma Rania Mankarious and Evelyn Reese Mankarious. He was the brother of (late) Wagdi Yacoub Makar as well as Salwa Yacoub Makar, Soheir Yacoub Makar, Shadia Yacoub Makar, Ragia Yacoub Makar and the beloved uncle to all their children in Egypt and the US.  

Ahead of his time, Onsy lived with kindness, wisdom, grace and pure unconditional love. He was the ultimate “girl dad”, faithful, witty and smart and the person everyone wanted to be around. He was extremely loved by all and will be greatly missed."

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