ELIZABETH F. PAKRAVAN

ELIZABETH FATEMEH PAKRAVAN  
On Sunday, December 7, 2014, in Paris, France, Elizabeth Fatemeh Pakravan, widow of General Hassan Pakravan (1911-1979), passed away peacefully in her sleep at age 96. Our beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother was an exceptional individual who lived a full and exceptional life. She was born in Iran in 1918 and brought up in France before she went back to Iran as a young woman. She leaves a legacy of innumerable achievements, both in her professional life as a hospital director at a very young age, as second in command in the national airline company, then Assistant Secretary of Tourism, and as a tremendous asset as General Pakravan's wife where she beautifully fulfilled her obligations in his assignments as a high-ranking official. She always went way beyond regular duties. As an example, during General Pakravan's ambassadorship in Paris, she supervised the renovation of the century-old embassy, turning it into a graceful mansion visited by the luminaries of the Parisian intellectual and political circles. She also helped select a superb building for the Chancery and was responsible for turning it into a prestigious embassy. Her wide circle of friends knew her as a genteel, cultivated woman, and also as a remarkable and generous hostess. Mrs. Pakravan spoke several languages and wrote beautifully, in French, articles, essays, stories, and her autobiography, published in 2007, Lumiere de mes yeux.  She is survived by her four children: Saideh Pakravan-Majidi, Amineh Pakravan-Papi, Karim Pakravan, and Afsaneh Pakravan-Barbier; her seven grandchildren: Ali and Taghi Naderzad, Chiara Papi-Clerico, Leopoldo Papi, Rudabeh Pakravan-Pirouzmand, Mathilde and Timothee Barbier; and her five great-grandchildren: Francesca, Enrico, Bianca and Giorgio Clerico and Lucien Naderzad. We will always miss her. Service and cremation will take place in Paris.  Condolences to des67champs@yahoo.com