Victoria Salamy Hamra, age 95, went to be with her Lord and Savior on March 4, 2024 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Victoria was born January 16, 1929, in Roosevelt, Oklahoma, along with her paternal twin brother, Victor Salamy. They were the youngest of five children, including Josephine Salamy Naifeh, Joseph Salamy, and George Salamy. Their parents were T.J. Salamy and Eva Jabour Salamy, both of whom immigrated to America as young children from Marjayoun, Lebanon. Victoria spent her early years living with her family in a home that was in the back part of their grocery store in Borger, Texas, called The Whitehouse Grocery Store. When she was ten years old, her family moved to Anadarko, Oklahoma, where she went to school and belonged to the First Christian Church in Anadarko. Her mother had a clothing store there, called The Victory. Her father, with a business degree, worked at his brother-in-law, Ed Jabour's clothing store, The Liberty, and eventually worked at his son's store, George's Department Store, which was a landmark in Anadarko for over 75 years. Victoria and her twin brother Victor participated in numerous singing competitions regionally. Victoria went to college for two years at Phillips University in Enid, OK, but when her mother became ill, she returned home to help in her mother's store.
Meanwhile, her brother, Joseph Salamy, a doctor on the U.S.S. Mercy Hospital ship in World War II, met Bill Hamra, a medical technologist on the U.S.S. Hope. Both returned to Tulsa, Oklahoma after the war, with Bill obtaining a pharmacology degree from the University of Oklahoma and later a dental degree. The two remained close, with Bill accompanying Joe on house calls late at night. On one college summer vacation, Victoria answered the phones at Joe's office. Victoria has always been known for her sweet voice. When Bill called to talk to Joe, he heard Victoria's sweet voice on the other end and had to go meet her in person. That was the beginning of a beautiful, long relationship! Bill and Victoria were married August 16, 1953, and had two sons, Mark and Paul Hamra.
Like most Mediterranean families, we can see bits and pieces of ourselves in the old TV series, "Everybody Loves Raymond"-close-knit families that often live near one another, with some of the comical situations that occur. For instance, only mom could make you feel guilty about not eating her freshly baked dessert, and then tell you how worried she was about how much weight you're gaining WHILE YOU'RE EATING IT!!!
Mom maintained her good sense of humor even as she aged and lived with back pain, needing a walker to get around. She would tell us, "Remember the Carol Burnett show and that actor, Tim Conway, who would shuffle around, pretending to be an old man? Well, that's what I'm like now!" When we would tell Mom to be careful and walk slowly to prevent a fall, she would reply, "Don't worry, I'm moving like Tim Conway!"
But most of us know Victoria as one of the sweetest ladies that you could ever meet. And most of us know her as coming from one of the sweetest, kindest families that most people look upon with wonder and admiration. We had several discussions over what made her family so giving and kind. We finally settled on the idea that her parents had come to this country with nothing, and, at the end of the day, if they had food to eat and a roof over their heads, they were happy! We felt that it was this lack of a sense of entitlement, a strong belief in God and family, and enjoying the little things in life that allowed her family to be close-knit and happy. Victoria instilled those convictions in her children. Victoria would always call to talk about a beautiful sunrise, the pretty birds in her yard that day, to come see how her flowers were blooming, or to be sure to look at the full moon that night.
Victoria remained a housewife, raising her two sons until they reached college, and then worked as a dental assistant and office manager for her husband's practice. Her sweet voice took her far. Her family routinely received compliments on how sweet Victoria was. The choir director at church insisted that she join, stating that they couldn't have better voices in the congregation than in the choir. When her son Mark's employees were ill, Victoria answered the phones at his office. Many of his patients commented on how sweet his mother sounded on the phone. When Mark had Victoria order office supplies, she came back to his office, stating that the supply company wanted to send free samples of several of their products. Mark told her, "Mom, I've been in this office for over ten years, and no one has EVER offered to send me anything for free. You just keep answering that phone!" Perhaps no one summarized Victoria better than her four year old granddaughter, Macey. On their way home from grandma's house, Macey was quiet in thought and then said, "Daddy, you know what Sitti's house has? Sitti's house has love!" That pretty much described Victoria in four words. From the moment you open her front door, you could hear her beautiful voice singing through the house, and could smell wonderful food cooking in the kitchen. Pictures of her family, whom she holds so dear, could be seen in every room of the house. Sitti's house has love!
Victoria is survived by her two sons, Dr. Mark Hamra of Tulsa, Dr. Paul (Jena) Hamra of Tulsa, three grandchildren: Macey(Maverick) Hunt, Justin Hamra, Marissa (Phil) Boyne and great granddaughter Leighton Hunt. She is preceded in death by her husband, Dr. William M. Hamra, her parents: T.J. and Eva Salamy and her siblings: Josephine Naifeh, Joseph Salamy, George Salamy, and Victor Salamy.
A funeral is scheduled for Victoria on March 9th, 2024, 12 noon at Faith United Methodist Church in Tulsa, OK.


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