Tributes

Elke Marie Shihadeh née Nissen died Wednesday, January 14, 2014 at her home in Ardmore, PA. She was 78. With her death, the world lost many of the secrets of hand bookbinding and restoration, a profession she practiced with her husband Fred H. Shihadeh from her early 20's for the rest of her life. Elke Shihadeh had a special expertise in the restoration of damaged papers of historical significance and personally restored the broadsides announcing the Declaration of Independence, as well as rare elephant folio editions of Audubon's original bird renderings. She was skilled in the art of making the hand marbled papers that graced the inner covers of the many books she hand-sewed as part of her restoration work. Elke Shihadeh was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1935 to Johannes Nissen, a federal bank employee and Else Minna Luise Nissen née Kohl. She attended school in Hamburg, ultimately graduating from the Wirtschaftoberschule in 1955 where her skill in foreign languages (English, French and Arabic) led to her facilitating foreign correspondence at Frachtcontor Junge & Co. She met her future husband, Fred H. Shihadeh, who was raised in Ardmore, PA. while visiting her aunt and uncle in Germany. Fred was in the U.S. Army, stationed in Bremerhaven following World War II. Fred fell in love with the artistry of hand bookbinding still practiced in Europe and also fell in love with Elke. After their marriage in 1960, and Fred's apprenticeship with German masters in bookbinding, Elke and Fred came to the United States and settled in Ardmore. Elke and Fred returned to Germany and other countries in Europe every year to gain knowledge and hone their skills, eventually becoming two of the few experts in the United States on the bookbinding of rare books. After Fred's death in 2004, Elke continued to work with books on a limited basis. She worked to promote her husband's legacy with the establishment of a bookbindery in Historic Sugartown, PA, using equipment from their workshop. She was an avid reader and learner and delighted in exploring numerous subjects. Elke enjoyed her large flower and vegetable garden and renewed her interest in creating art. She will always be remembered as a person who quietly and without acknowledgment helped others around her, and has donated her estate to charity. She is survived by her brother-in-law, Emil J. Shihadeh and his wife, Grace Shihadeh of Ardmore, her sister-in-law Jacquelin Shihadeh, widow of Edward J. Shihadeh of Rhinelander, Wisconsin and nieces Karen Schaufeld and Sandra Shihadeh, nephew Edward Shihadeh and grand nieces and nephews Haley, Jacob, and Max Schaufeld, and Jordan Shihadeh, of Leesburg, VA, and a cousin in Kansas. Gifts in memoriam may be made to Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam America, and The Smile Train.

Tributes

Elke Nissen Shihadeh

December 13, 1935 - January 15, 2014