Dima Sulaiman was the kind of neighbor who didn’t want to be a familiar stranger. She wanted to be friends.

Dima Sulaiman on the day she received her U.S. citizenship roughly four years ago. Sulaiman, who was a neighbor of Sun-Times’ editorial board member and columnist Rummana Hussain, died unexpectedly on Dec. 16. (Provided)

Dima always asked about our two cats.

When my husband and I would respond and inquire about her feline friend Mish-Mish — Arabic for apricot — she’d feign exasperation and exclaim, “He’s crazy!”