Leon Delpierre

Leon Delpierre was born on August 3, 1933 in Paris, France. A Holocaust Survivor, he moved to New York in 1947, then to Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1949. There, in 1956, he met and married his wife, Annette and they raised three children in the suburbs of Montreal.

A skilled linguist in French and English, Leon built a career in translation and simultaneous interpretation, establishing himself as a highly valued world-class interpreter. His assignments brought him to the far reaches of the world, from Paris to Hawaii, from Thailand to Australia. The highlight of Leon’s career was simultaneously interpreting the 1981 US Presidential Inaugural Address for Canada’s French radio service.

Although Leon talked for a living, his favorite time to talk was with family on long walks. He and Annette also enjoyed traveling extensively over the years to visit their lifelong friends. Laughter, playing “Petanque”, and partying with Leon’s powerhouse Sangria filled their time joyously.

Once retired, Leon was heavily involved with his community, serving on the Condominium Association Board over a span of years as Treasurer, then President. He also fulfilled his other passion for movie collecting , building an impressive library spanning decades of film history.

Leon is survived by his wife of 67 years, Annette; his 3 children, Serge, Isabelle (Rick), Bert and his 3 grandchildren- Rachel, Dylan (Julianne) and Nikolette.

Donations in Leon’s name can be made to:

Chevra Kadisha of Greater Washington

Payable to: Men’s Chevra Kadisha

Men’s Chevra Kadisha

c/o Joel Bauman

11503 Monticello Ave

Silver Spring, MD 20902

https://www.chevrakadishagw.org

The Chevra Kadisha of Greater Washington is a volunteer organization offering services of burial preparation to any Jewish person, regardless of their denomination or observance, maintaining the highest level of respect and dignity (kavod hameis). They work with participating funeral homes to make the conduct of a traditional Jewish service possible in an affordable manner, and keeping these traditions alive. Chevra Kadisha was instrumental in making this funeral possible. Please consider supporting this valuable mission.

====================================

JSSA (The Jewish Social Service Agency of Montgomery County, Maryland)

https://www.jssa.org/donate

JSSA Homecare provides home health care services for older adults and were a vital part in helping us care for Leon at home as we navigated the effects of his stroke these past six years. JSSA Hospice also helped these last two months as Leon's conditions changed and guided him and us with his final transition.

====================================

Jewish National Fund - Plant A Tree

https://shop.jnf.org/collections/plant-trees

Leon found his and Annette's visit to Israel very moving, emphasizing that it was a visit that we all, as Jews, should make at least once.

A graveside service will be held on Thursday, February 1 at 2pm at Garden of Remembrance, 14321 Comus Road, Clarksburg MD.