Ahmad Rasoul and Peter Fernandez comfort each other during a visitation for Fernandez’s wife Dina Feb. 21. Dina, 75, and Rasoul’s wife Nabila, 23, were killed Feb. 15 while out for a walk together. (Photos provided)CHARLOTTE — A week after their wives were fatally struck by a pickup truck as they walked along a sidewalk, Ahmad Rasoul and Peter Fernandez met for the first time.
With two of his three children in tow, Ahmad attended the Feb. 21 visitation service for Dina Fernandez, the Catholic Charities volunteer who had been teaching English to his wife, Nabila.
Ahmad wanted to meet Peter, he said, because “we are the same.”
Two husbands who lost their spouses. On the same day, in the same shocking crash. Both fathers. Both deeply faithful. Both adoring of their wives, whom they’d met on a blind date or through family arrangement.
At the funeral home, Ahmad and Peter locked in a long embrace and wept. When Ahmad introduced his children, energetic toddlers aged 3 and 4, Peter laughed and shared how much Dina had enjoyed visiting with them. As they talked, Ahmad and Peter agreed their families would remain connected.
“We are heartbroken over the loss of Dina and Nabila, who were forming a special bond as Dina taught her English and they shared stories about their families,” said Dr. Gerard Carter, executive director and CEO of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte. “Dina was a passionate volunteer who stepped up to help Catholic Charities in its efforts to resettle Afghan evacuees into our community. Nabila and her family were adjusting well.”
The rosary and visitation service for Dina was followed Wednesday by a funeral Mass at St. Peter Church, where she was a member. She was 75.
A week earlier, Nabila had been buried according to Muslim rituals in the Islamic section of a Huntersville cemetery. She had just turned 23.
The 21-year-old driver police said was responsible for the crash Feb. 15 is facing multiple charges including felony death by vehicle, reckless driving and Driving While Impaired. Police said the car he was driving hit the pickup, sending it off the road and onto the sidewalk where Dina and Nabila were walking.
OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT
Across the Diocese of Charlotte and beyond, people have rallied around the Rasoul and Fernandez families in the wake of the crash.
A GoFundMe effort to help Ahmad Rasoul, 31, deal with the challenges of raising three children alone in a new country has drawn national attention.
A five-star Charlotte-area daycare has enrolled the children at a deep discount. The team at Hendrick Automotive Group, where Ahmad recently began working, has also generously donated to the family, some employees giving up their bonuses.
Still others are reaching out to U.S. Senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr in an effort to bring Ahmad and Nabila’s parents from Afghanistan to Charlotte – to reunite his family and help care for the three young children.
“There is nothing more important to Ahmad than his family,” said Sam Hatcher, a retired salesman who owns the house where the Rasouls are living and is leading the GoFundMe effort.
“It is critical now that the leadership of this country honor its commitment to the people of Afghanistan who were forced to flee their homeland when the U.S. suddenly withdrew forces. We need to bring Ahmad and Nabila’s parents here to be with their grandchildren.”
Dina’s family has also been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and is asking that contributions in her memory go to the Rasoul family or Catholic Charities’ Resettlement Program.
Friends and fellow refugee mentors at St. Peter are planning other ways to continue Dina’s legacy of giving back – as a nurse, reading tutor, medical translator, and through volunteering typically for social justice causes.
“She was a giver,” Peter Fernandez said of his wife of 54 years. “Her work as a volunteer with the community speaks volumes. I would like people to know that Dina was a great Catholic who loved her faith and always was looking to help people.”
“She especially loved working with Nabila,” he said. “Dina was really proud of how much progress Nabila was making and how smart she was.”
COMING TO AMERICA
Nabila RasoulAhmad and Nabila married in 2016. With his input, his parents invited Nabila’s family to accept a proposal.
Ahmad was over the moon when they did. The couple’s connection was instant, he recalls.
He remembers holding Nabila’s hand for the first time, as the wedding celebration began with a trip to the beauty salon.
“I drive the car and I am very happy we are together,” he said. “We are both very smiley.”
Unlike with some arranged marriages, Ahmad said, neither pined for somebody else. “Nabila was a kind girl, and she loves just me. No one else. And I loved her – just Nabila.”
But life in Kabul was punctuated by violence. The couple would hear bombing or see news reports of destruction and call to check on each other.
The Rasouls fled Afghanistan last August, worried about a Taliban takeover after the withdrawal of U.S. forces. With two toddlers and Nabila six months pregnant, the family flew to Qatar, then Dulles International Airport in Virginia, then to El Paso, Texas, where they spent several months living in a tent with six other Afghan families on a U.S. military base.
They moved to Charlotte Oct. 11 through Catholic Charities’ Refugee Resettlement program.
Catholic Charities and the refugee community in Charlotte flocked to help Nabila. A Bosnian couple took the family into their home while Nabila awaited the birth of her baby girl, born an American citizen on Oct. 30 at Novant Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte. Days later, the family settled into a neat and modest home, furnished by Catholic Charities and well-wishers, off W.T. Harris Boulevard.
Ahmad, who has a master’s degree in business management, was thrilled to land a job with Hendrick Automotive. The company heard about the needs of the Afghans and reached out to offer a job with good pay, benefits and a career path. Ahmad obtained his North Carolina driver’s license in February, and a donor provided a car. Nabila focused on raising the children and was committed to learning English and building a new life for their family.
A CALL TO ACTION
Dina FernandezThe same month the Rasouls arrived in Charlotte, Dina Fernandez felt called to help after hearing Afghan evacuees were being resettled here. She went into training to become a volunteer for Catholic Charities’ Refugee Resettlement program.
It was so like her to respond to people in need, friends and family said.
“She lived her faith every day,” said Leslie Tesch, who with Dina facilitated a local JustFaith group, examining the intersection of faith, social justice and action.
A lifelong Catholic of Puerto Rican descent, Dina’s first job was working as a church secretary at age 16 at St. John Chrysostom Parish in the South Bronx, where she grew up. She went on to become a registered nurse and also worked at IBM and as an English translator for Hispanic immigrants during medical appointments. Then, volunteering: tutoring, comforting AIDS patients, teaching Sunday School.
The mother of two adult children and two grandchildren, she was active in the community and the Church as a member of St. Gabriel Parish and more recently at St. Peter Parish, both in Charlotte.
A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT
Nabila became Dina’s first student in the resettlement program. The pair started in November with twice-weekly English lessons at the Rasouls’ new home in northeast Charlotte.
Dina loved Nabila, her sister Carmen Quesada said. Dina spoke frequently about their visits, marveling at Nabila’s intellect and laughing when her 3-year-old daughter rooted through Dina’s pocketbook for goodies.
Nabila spoke of Dina, too, Ahmad said. Nabila was already thinking about nursing school, like Dina.
On Feb. 1, Nabila celebrated her 23rd birthday with her family, enjoying cupcakes and balloons in their cozy and immaculate new home.
On Valentine’s Day, a day before the crash, Nabila and Ahmad marked the day with a big hug and a special meal that evening. Across town, Dina and
Peter Fernandez celebrated, too, on a double date at Aqua e Vino with Dina’s sister and her husband.
Before the darkest of days, both husbands say, it was a beautiful night.
— Liz Chandler and Kimberly Bender, Catholic News Herald
How you can help
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the Rasoul family. Donate here.
Donate to Catholic Charities’ refugee support in memory of Dina Fernandez online here. Fill out form then click “continue” to recognize Fernandez, or mail a check payable to Catholic Charities, Diocese of Charlotte to 1123 S. Church Street, Charlotte, N.C., 28203. In the memo line write, "Refugee Support in memory of Enedina Fernandez." Donations are tax deductible.
Catholic Charities volunteer, refugee killed in northeast Charlotte crash
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Published Feb. 16, 2022:
Dina Fernandez, 75, (center) is pictured with her family. Fernandez, a parishioner at St. Peter Church in Charlotte and a volunteer with Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte, was known for giving in many ways. (Photo provided by Carmen Quesada)CHARLOTTE — A retired nurse who felt called to help Afghan refugees and the young Afghan mother she embraced as a mentor died Tuesday when they were hit by a truck while out taking a walk.Dina Fernandez, 75, had just finished giving an English lesson to 23-year-old Nabila Rasoul at Nabila’s new home in northeast Charlotte. They went out for a walk around 3 p.m.
About the same time, a Honda Civic speeding along East W.T. Harris Boulevard crashed into a Dodge Ram pickup truck and sent it off the roadway, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police. The impact caused the truck to overturn and jump the curb, careening onto the sidewalk where the two women were walking.
Enedina “Dina” Fernandez, a Catholic Charities volunteer, died at the scene. Nabila Rasoul, a recent evacuee from Afghanistan, was rushed to a hospital but died from her injuries. No others were seriously injured.
The two women had become close after Nabila, a mother of three young children, and her husband arrived in Charlotte in October.
“We are heartbroken over the loss of Dina and Nabila, who were forming a special bond as Dina taught her English and shared stories about their families,” said Dr. Gerard Carter, executive director and CEO of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte. “Dina was a passionate volunteer who stepped up to help Catholic Charities in its efforts to resettle Afghan evacuees into our community. Nabila and her family were adjusting well.”
Nabila leaves behind her husband Ahmad, 32, and three children – the youngest born Oct. 30 in Charlotte, an American citizen.
The Rasouls fled Afghanistan last summer after the sudden withdrawal of U.S. forces. They spent three months living in a tent on a U.S. military base in Texas, then moved to Charlotte last fall through Catholic Charities’ Refugee Resettlement program.
The Charlotte community embraced the Rasoul family. Volunteers rallied around Nabila, who was eight months pregnant when she arrived, and the family settled into a home made available by Sam Hatcher, who also felt compelled to do something for the arriving Afghan refugees.
“The Rasoul family has become part of our family, and had already begun a wonderful new life,” said Hatcher, who started a GoFundMe page to raise money for Ahmad and the children.
Hatcher said Ahmad is desperate now for U.S. authorities to bring his parents from Afghanistan to reunite his family and help care for his children ages 4, 3, and 4 months.
Nabila Rasoul and her baby daughter, Diyana, who was born in Charlotte Oct. 30, not long after the family was resettled from Afghanistan. (Photos provided by the Rasoul family)“They came to America with nothing to start a new life and had begun a promising future when a careless act changed everything, leaving two toddlers and a baby without a mom,” Hatcher said. “America needs to do everything it can to help fortify this wounded family. We need to bring extended family from Afghanistan to be with them, and we need to commit to help these children build a life in this country.”Ahmad, who has an MBA and worked as a professional in Afghanistan, recently found a good job with Hendrick Automotive Group. He obtained his North Carolina driver’s license just two weeks ago, and a donor provided a car. Nabila focused on raising the children and was committed to learning English and building a new life for their family.
Dina Fernandez became Nabila’s teacher. She spotted the need on the news last fall when it was announced that Afghan evacuees would be resettled in Charlotte.
A member of St. Peter Catholic Church, she joined the parish’s Refugee Mentoring team and became a volunteer for Catholic Charities’ Refugee Resettlement program.
“She was a giver,” Peter Fernandez said of his wife of 54 years. “Her work as a volunteer with the community speaks volumes. I would like people know that Dina was a great Catholic who loved her faith and always was looking to help people.”
A retired nurse who also worked at IBM, she was a Sunday School teacher and English translator who helped Hispanic immigrants during medical appointments.
They have two adult children, Melissa and Christopher, and two grandchildren. They have been active in serving the community and the Church as members of St. Gabriel Parish and more recently at St. Peter Parish, both in Charlotte.
“Dina was really proud of how much progress Nabila was making and how smart she was,” Peter Fernandez said, adding that she bought the family the “Farsi-to-English Oxford Picture Dictionary” to help with their lessons.
Dina’s sister Carmen Quesada said Dina loved Nabila.
“My sister understood that the best way to help people is to teach them to help themselves,” Quesada said. “I want people to remember my sister for her kindness and her joy. She did all these wonderful things, and there was a lightness in her. She helped because it was the right thing to do, but also because she loved it.”
Police charged the driver of the Honda Civic, James Payne, 21, with two counts of felony death by motor vehicle, DWI, reckless driving, having an open container and other traffic violations. He was also charged with misdemeanor child abuse because there was a minor in his car, police said.
Catholic Charities and the Diocese of Charlotte are reaching out to both families to assist in any way they can, Carter said. “We hope everyone in the Charlotte community will join us in praying for the families, that they may find strength and support to sustain them in their grief over the sudden, tragic loss of their loved ones.”
Nabila and Ahmed Rasoul are pictured with their three children – aged 4, 2 and 4 months – visiting new American friends just before Christmas. Nabila Rasoul was tragically killed in a car crash on East W.T. Harris Boulevard Feb. 15. Ahmad Rasoul’s face is blurred to protect his safety, as the family escaped from Afghanistan last summer fearing Taliban reprisals.Help the Rasoul family
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the Rasoul family. Donate here.
