Khairiah Mahmoud, wife of Abed Hassan Hamoodi

From the news reports:

"My wife had been reading the Koran and fell asleep with it across her chest," Mr. Hamoodi said. ...

The family is well educated and well respected. None had ever joined the Baath Party, but all were important members of the community. ...

Khairiah Mahmoud was the mother of 10 and grandmother of many more. Married to Abed as a young woman, she was insistent that the family be together as often as possible.

"Khairiah would not let us eat lunch or dinner unless everyone had gathered," her husband said.

NYT 10 May 2003

Ayad Hamoodi lives in the big empty house with his wife and children, trying to honour the memory of those who perished: his mother, son, brother, sister, and six nieces and nephews.

"It was the most difficult decision of my life," he says. "But the soul of our whole family is in this house. That's why I decided to stay. One of us had to stay here. If all of us had left Basra, our whole family would be destroyed."

Globe and Mail 06 Mar 2004