Funeral Held For Beloved Shop Owner
CICERO, Ill. (CBS) - The funeral of beloved Cabrini-Green shop owner Bassam "Ollie" Naoum was held Friday morning. People who live in the neighborhood say he was more than a store owner. He often gave food, or even jobs, to those in need.
The funeral was held at St. George Antiochan Orthodox Church in Cicero. CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli reports that the minister delivered a sermon about unexpected challenges, and how families are sometimes forced to deal with them.
That is exactly what's happened to Naoum's family. He was killed last weekend while working alone in his Munchies Convenience Store, at 950 N. Orleans St. in Chicago.
Naoum, 59, immigrated to Chicago from Jordan years ago, and set up shop in a neighborhood that most people feared to even go in.
On Friday, people from the Cabrini-Green community came out in force to say good-bye to a man many came to love. They say Ollie was known for his remarkable generosity. If you were hungry, he'd give you food. If you were broke, he'd give you money. And if you were stranded, he'd buy your bus or train fare.
Community members say if you were sick, Ollie would go out of his way to give you medicine, and would even go as far as visiting you in the hospital.
Ollie's daughter, Noelle Naoum, said it meant a lot to see members of the community show their support.
"It means the world to us because we know how much he loved being there, and for them to show that back is the best," said Noelle Naoum.
Ollie's cousin Raad Toma describes him as: "Gracious, generous, full of love, never had anybody hate him. I don't remember anybody ever hating him. And I don't know why these guys went into the store and did what they did."
"Ollie was one of us. He was in the hood. If somebody knew something, they would've knew," said Delvonn Richards, Ollie's friend. "That's why it's so surprising. That's why I feel like it's somebody outside the neighborhood."
Naoum's family members say they've been told that the killers may have been caught on surveillance tape, but the police won't confirm that.
Police say they have no suspects in custody, and no one has yet been charged in this case.
Anyone with information on Ollie's murder is asked to contact police.
