Funeral services will be held in Urbana on Monday for Rosli (Li) and Guillerma (Gemma) Habibullah, the beloved couple who owned and ran International Grocery in Carbondale’s Murdale Shopping Center.
The two died from injuries sustained in a car accident Aug. 2., which happened as they were on the road to visit their daughter in Champaign.
International Grocery customer Jane Adams said, the store was “utterly unique – probably in the entire country – and a testament to the global nature of Carbondale.”
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“Li stocked foods and spices from every continent and virtually every culture,” Adams said. “If he didn’t have an item a customer wanted, Li would find it, putting it on his ever-more-crowded shelves. He knew exactly where everything was – if I asked him for some item, he could lead me directly to it.”
Social media has been filled with mourners expressing their sorrow for the loss of the Habibullahs.
Bree Lankford-Halter wrote in a post on the WTF Carbondale Facebook page, “What a huge loss for the community, they were both so kind.”
Avery Leveque wrote: “They were a vertebrae within the backbone of this community! This is such a huge loss. Lots of love to everyone involved, they will be missed.”
Others called the news “devastating,” “terrible” and “tragic.”
International Grocery opened more than two decades ago and carried food stuffs from around the world. Adams said Li Habibullah “cared about his customers, always with a twinkling eye and a warm smile.” She said he often shared anecdotes of events in the world, especially SE Asia, where he came from.
The business recently expanded into a neighboring store front.
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Adams said, “The store had become so crowded, you could barely make your way through the aisles.”
While Li Habibullah operated the store, Gemma Habibullah was a retired math teacher and served as an adjunct faculty member at St. Louis University.
The two were both in their 60s.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help their daughter cover funeral expenses. The website says the daughter plans to keep the store open as long as they can.
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