Selma "Irene" Abood Obituary

Selma “Irene” Abood, born on October 23, 1938 in Akron, Ohio, entered her eternal home on
July 17, 2025 after a brief hospitalization. She was a beloved daughter of the late George and
Irene Ann Abood of Akron, Ohio. Irene was predeceased by her brother, Nicholas, as well as
her sister, Lillian. She was survived by her brother, George, who sadly followed her in death just
two days later. Her memory will live on through her nieces, nephews, great nieces and
nephews, cousins and dear friends.

Irene never failed to light up any room she entered. She was loved by many, but her capacity to
love others was even greater. From a young age, Irene’s family life centered around food and
service to others. Her family owned a small neighborhood grocery store, “Aboods Foods,” where
she and her siblings helped their parents provide food, often on “house credit”, to those in their
neighborhood. From making sandwiches to rolling grape leaves and serving soft drinks, the
Abood family fed dozens each week.

These formative years provided the roadmap for her life’s journey. Following graduation from
Central High School in Akron, Ohio in 1957, Irene packed all of her belongings into a
Volkswagen Beetle and moved to south Florida. It was there that she met her close friend and
business partner, Dolores Mueller, with whom she founded D&I Brokerage. With Irene’s
extraordinary charisma and Dolores’ business acumen, these entrepreneurs crossed thresholds
that had seldom been seen by women in the 1960s.

Three decades after operating a thriving specialty food brokerage, Irene and Dolores opened
the Coffee Bean restaurant in Sebring, Florida. This small cafe was both a venue and a ministry
for serving wonderful food, creating lasting memories and forging lifelong friendships. Family,
friends and neighbors will forever cherish Irene’s gleeful presence.
We will celebrate and honor her life with a visitation hour on Saturday, August 2 from 10:00 to
11:00 a.m. A memorial service will follow at 11:00 a.m. Services will be held at Stephenson-
Nelson Funeral Home, 4001 Sebring Parkway, Sebring, FL 33870.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Jude Children Research Hospital,
www.stjude.com. There will be a box below where you can donate directly.

Arrangements entrusted to:
Stephenson-Nelson Funeral Home
Sebring, Florida
Online condolences may be left at
 www.stephensonnelsonfh.com