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Clockwise from top left: The Denha Family; Thomas and Virgine Denha Wedding, 1954; Thomas Denha with other Chaldean pioneers; Serving in Korea.<br />
tance Act, created to help foreigners<br />
who had fled from persecution in<br />
their home countries. This enabled<br />
Thomas to bring his two brothers<br />
and four sisters to America, as well<br />
as Virgine’s siblings.<br />
Thomas took the opportunity to<br />
help his brothers and sisters get established<br />
in the United States. He<br />
found stores for them to buy, secured<br />
loans, and provided guidance. He<br />
was overjoyed to be able to help his<br />
siblings and spent a lot of time with<br />
his brothers Sabri and Yousif.<br />
Thomas’s passion to help others<br />
didn’t stop with immediate family<br />
but extended to the entire Chaldean<br />
community. He was deeply involved<br />
with the Chaldean Iraqi American<br />
Association of Michigan (CIAAM)<br />
and was a constant presence when<br />
they were establishing Southfield<br />
Manor.<br />
Virgine Denha fondly recalled<br />
Thomas, his good friend Oraha<br />
Shouneyia, and others going from<br />
store to store asking Chaldean store<br />
owners to give donations to build the<br />
new cultural gathering spot.<br />
Denha also helped countless others<br />
he encountered in his daily life,<br />
many of whom weren’t related or<br />
even Chaldean. One former Detroit<br />
police officer who read Denha’s obituary<br />
in the newspaper in 2011 drove<br />
across town to tell Thomas’s family<br />
of how their husband and father<br />
helped him over 30 years earlier. He<br />
said, “I will never forget what Tom<br />
did for me.”<br />
Lasting legacy<br />
Thomas Denha’s story is not entirely<br />
unique in this country or within our<br />
great Chaldean community, but it is an<br />
evocative tale of a generation that has<br />
come and gone. A self-educated man<br />
with both street smarts and business<br />
smarts, Thomas was a risk taker without<br />
fear. Failure was never an option. He<br />
was a pure capitalist who loved America<br />
and all the opportunities it presented if<br />
one was willing to put in hard work and<br />
exhibit will and fortitude.<br />
Thomas Denha knew that Chaldeans<br />
would contribute in a huge fashion<br />
to the United States of America, as<br />
they have, and correctly believed that<br />
they would continue to make their new<br />
country richer, stronger, and better.<br />
Those who visit the Chaldean Community<br />
Foundation in Sterling Heights<br />
may recognize the name on a plaque<br />
in the middle of the center. Thomas<br />
A. Denha Main Street celebrates the<br />
legacy of a man who knew the value of<br />
family and community.<br />
This article was drafted to fill a lasting<br />
desire on the part of the community<br />
for what we call “Pioneer History.”<br />
To the families represented here,<br />
the value is inestimable. For the<br />
children and grandchildren, it is our<br />
hope that the character, courage,<br />
resolute endurance, and firmness<br />
of mind become an example for all.<br />
Contributions for this story were made<br />
by Virgine Denha, Kevin Denha, Connie<br />
Yasso, Malik Mary, Amira Samouna<br />
Mary, and Farouq Samouna.<br />
<strong>SEPTEMBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 19
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