Emma Argüelles Karim passed away at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, on Thursday, December 20, 2017. Her husband Gerardo Karim, her brothers Efraín, David and José preceded her in death. Emma was the daughter of Gilberto Argüelles, a railroad worker, and Ana Díaz, a school teacher in the town of Cruces in central Cuba, where Emma was born in 1937. In her life and in her final days, Emma was surrounded by the love of her family and her many friends. Emma attended Wingate College in the late 1950’s, and completed her studies at a business academy in Cuba and at the University of Havana, where she met her future husband. The social and political upheaval brought about by the Revolution of 1959 forced the couple to emigrate to Spain in 1968, one of the few options available to people who wanted to leave Cuba at that time. In 1970 the Karims arrived in Wingate, where Emma’s aunt Lilia Díaz Montero resided with her husband Julian and their children; it was in Wingate that their two daughters, Ana and Rosa, were born. Until her retirement, Emma was employed as a social worker for the Union County Department of Social Services. She was a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Cruces and later of Wingate Baptist Church. She was active in the church and in various community organizations, including Habitat for Humanity and Friends of the Library in Monroe. Those who knew her will remember her sense of humor and carefree disposition, her generosity, and signs of her love of life and of the people around her. The Karim family thanks the Wingate community for their many gestures of kindness over the years, as well as Emma’s friends in Union County and in Charlotte. In lieu of flowers, please donate in Emma’s memory to the Wingate Baptist Church, Habitat for Humanity of Union County, and Friends of the Library, Monroe, N.C. Emma’s loss is mourned and her life celebrated by her daughters Ana Karim and Rosa K. Sánchez; Rosa’s husband Rafael Sánchez, and her granddaughter Nyla, who brought great joy to her; her cousins Lili, Luisa and her son Julian, and Oscar, and his partner John Loflin; her dear friend Linda Hilton; her cousins, nieces and nephews in Cuba and in the US, and her many friends. A memorial service will be held 3:00 PM at the Wingate Baptist Church, 109 E. Elm St., Wingate NC, 28174, Saturday, December 30, 2017. The family will visit with friends and family prior to the service from 1:00 PM until-2:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall. Online condolences may be made at www.gordonfuneralservice.com. Gordon Funeral Service Crematory is caring for the Karium family.