Wally Seraj of Westbury: 'He had a goodness and lightness that shone so bright'
Wally Seraj, an auto financing loan officer, died March 29. Credit: Composite: Narwan Seraj
Wally Seraj's relatives have a difficult time coming up with their fondest memory of the 39-year-old Westbury resident — there were simply too many great moments.
“To classify one as the fondest is near impossible since we were always together and shared many amazing times,” recalled sister-in-law Narwan Seraj, a family spokeswoman. “He had a goodness and lightness that shone so bright and a personality that made you want to always be around him.”
Wally Seraj died from a probable case of the coronavirus on March 29 after being ill for about a week and not being able to get admitted to a hospital, said Narwan Seraj, noting that he died at home in the arms of his wife, Goldie.
Narwan Seraj, who also lives in Westbury, said Wally brought a positive attitude to everything he did, from his job as an auto financing loan officer to the family setting. Helping customers who were normally denied credit for new cars to get financing was something that made him feel happy and gave him a sense of accomplishment, she said.
Wally Seraj immigrated from Afghanistan at 12 with his parents and three brothers. He became an avid New York Giants fan. And even though his favorite team didn’t make it often to the Super Bowl, he threw big parties on the day of the big game, complete with a multicultural bill of fare, his relatives said. With Goldie, who is of Indian ancestry, the menu for Super Bowl parties included everything from hot dogs and sliders to curry, Narwan Seraj said.
“He loved it,” his sister-in-law said of the festivities.
Seraj said her brother-in-law imparted one special gift to her: the attitude of introspection to cope with emotions such as anger and feelings of conflict. “The lesson I learned for me is to look inward and not indulge in those behaviors,” she said.
In addition to his wife, Wally Seraj is survived by two daughters, Alena, 15, and Maliya, 11; his father, Habib, and mother, Najiba, of Westbury; brothers Najib (Narwan's husband), Abdul, also of Westbury, and Enayet, who resides in California.
Seraj was buried on April 2 at Washington Memorial Park in Mt. Sinai.
Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.
