Zahra Exantus

Zahra Exantus, beloved daughter of Joe and Cathi Exantus, died unexpectedly at her home in Shanghai, China. Zahra is survived by her husband, Nicholas Wan; her siblings; Jordan (nieces - Ayanna and Gaelle), Camille and Etienne Exantus, her parents, Joe and Cathi Exantus, her grandparents, David and Carol Dornbusch and a large extended family of cousins, aunts and uncles.

Zahra was an outstanding academic and a passionate advocate for higher education. She graduated from Ithaca College majoring in legal studies and was a Master of Laws candidate at Jiao Tong University in Shanghai—a top-three ranked university in China. Zahra had a brilliant legal mind and excelled professionally. She specialized in mergers and acquisitions of multinational companies.

Zahra also served as editor for Shanghai’s most widely read English-learning magazine. She was loved by her private tutoring students and offered her guidance to poor families at no cost. Zahra cherished adopting and fostering animals, painting, and world travel—visiting over 30 countries. She prioritized charity to those in need and social justice. Above all else, she loved her family, especially her younger brother Etienne.

A celebration of Zahra’s life will be held on Saturday, July 13, 2019 at 3 pm at the Lansing United Methodist Church, 32 Brickyard Rd., Lansing, NY with a reception immediately following. The family will receive friends at the church on Friday, July 12, 2019 from 4 to 6 pm. Private interment will be held at Green Hills Cemetery, Dryden, NY. In lieu of flowers donations in Zahra's memory may be directed to https://thesophiefund.org/the-sophie-fund/ - this link describes it.

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