Obituaries

Pierre Caporal (born Izmir 1930, died Beirut 24-1-2021) - version française

by Jacques Caporal

Pierre Caporal, recently deceased in the retirement home of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in Lebanon, spent his whole life in the service of the education of young people in Turkey. Born in 1930 in Izmir, he belonged to a family established since 1750 in this city where he did his studies, completed in Lille.

He entered the Brothers of the Christian schools, did his military service in Germany and Algeria before joining the Lycée St Joseph in Kadiköy in 1958 as a physics teacher. After retraining and training for a year in France in 1967, he returned to Kadiköy as headteacher. He held this position until 1994 when he was appointed Resident of the delegation of the Brothers of the Christian Schools for the whole of Turkey.

He retired in 1995, he became a visiting brother, bursar, of the Middle East district (Turkey, Lebanon, Cyprus, Jordan, Egypt) and held this position until 2004.

He then settled permanently in Smyrna, at the Lycée St Joseph where he was the last living brother present in this establishment. He continued to serve, including translating from Turkish to French important community documents such as guidelines and regulations for educational institutions.

Always active and helpful, with great modesty, he worked to help the parish community. He welcomed with great kindness and gladly guided visitors, often from Levantine families, in search of traces of their ancestors. His exceptional knowledge of places, families, history and relationships made him a true living memory and a precious help.

After an operation on the neck of his femur, following an unfortunate fall, he retired in 2020 to the retirement home of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, in Lebanon where he died on January 24, 2021.

Pierre Caporal was a Knight of the Order of Merit.

External obituary: / La Salle: Proche-Orient: