Services for Mireille Genadry,

Mireille Genadry, 65 of Thief River Falls, MN loving wife of David Beito, mother of Ben and Kim, passed away suddenly on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at her residence.

Mireille Genadry was born in Cairo, Egypt to a family of Lebanese expatriates who merchandised and manufactured cotton fabric. She grew up speaking French to her parents and Arabic to her classmates while spending summers on the beaches of Alexandria, Egypt. At the age of 8 her family was forced to sell all their assets at a steep discount and flee Egypt to avoid the discriminatory policies of Gamal Nasser. She remembers overhearing a customs officer telling her father that at 8 she was old enough to be on her own in Cairo so he would not allow her to leave with the family. As is usually the case in corrupt and feckless regimes, a generous payment was made to the officer and his superiors which convinced them to give approval to her departure. She boarded with her mother and siblings, but her father had to stay behind with the very real risk that he would never be allowed to leave Egypt. This was a sacrifice he was willing to make so his family could live in a just country. Her clever father found a way to join the family in Beirut where Mireille was learning her third language the hard way having been enrolled in the Italian School (where all instruction was in Italian). The political winds were changing in Lebanon with civil war on the horizon, so her father’s cousin, General Francois Genadry advised the family to move elsewhere. 

Mireille started school in New York one grade behind her level due to her unfamiliarity with the English language. She vividly remembered being openly ridiculed by a teacher and her classmates for being an ignorant person. In short order she was moved up two grade levels and ambitiously completed her school requirements graduating from St. Agnes High School at the age of 16. She decided to attend Hofstra University so the family moved to Garden City, Long Island where Mireille could live at home while attending college. Mireille once again diligently applied herself to her studies and graduated from Hofstra at the age of 19. 

Mireille had a career in international banking at European American Bank covering Eastern Europe and the Middle East. She signed her communiques as “M. Genadry” because many in these areas would not deal with her if they knew she was a woman. We kept her old magnetic nameplate on the refrigerator. One day it let loose and fell causing our very young son Ben to exclaim “Mom, the M. Genadry bonked me on the head!”.

Mireille left the bank to increase her knowledge of business by studying for an MBA degree at Columbia University in New York. She financed her education with her own savings, earned her degree and met her future husband, David Beito. 

She began a career in consulting at KPMG Peat Marwick, but love won over career and upon her marriage in 1989, she moved to her current family home in Thief River Falls. She continued doing consulting projects in New York and Thief River Falls and then devoted her time and energy to her family and especially her children, Ben and Kim.

While her family was her priority, she never lost her thirst for knowledge and skills. She received her certification in Civil and Employment Mediation and over the last two and a half years had received certificates in 22 courses in business analytics, the use of IT to conduct analytics, digital transformation and a capstone course in quantum computing and its effects on all these corporate processes which she completed in February of 2022.

She was a faithful Christian and was true to her Catholic faith. She had recited the rosary daily for over 20 years. She was the primary care giver for her mother and her sister Sonia, moving them from New York to a Florida Care Center where she made sure their every need was provided for.

Mireille was a happy soul, a devoted daughter and sister, a true friend, a super-mom and a beautiful wife. She was currently serving on the Dean’s Advisory Board at the Hofstra DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science, was proud of organizing the chess program at Challenger Elementary School for many years and was serving on the boards of the Northern State Bank of Thief River Falls, The Northern State Bank of Gonvick, Security State Bank of Oklee and the First National Bank of McIntosh.

Mireille is survived by her husband of 32 years, her children Ben and Kim, sister Sonia, brother Ray (Fiorella), nieces and nephews Stevie, Lisa, Ray Jr, Becca, Joey, Hannah, Ella and Raquel and her mother-in-law Gretchen Beito.

She is preceded in death by her parents George and Laur Genadry and father-in-law Gene Beito.

Condolences may be sent at www.johnsonfuneralservice.com