Mr René Jacques Lévy

Msr. René Jacques Lévy, 36, was born in Paris, in 1875. He trained as a chemist and immigrated to Quebec, Canada with his wife and three daughters in 1910.

In March of 1912 he returned to Paris for a family funeral. He was originally scheduled to sail back to Canada on the maiden voyage of the France on April 20, but switched passage when he learned he could get back to his wife in Montreal 10 days earlier aboard the maiden voyage of Titanic.

His last place of abode was the Grand Hotel in Paris. He boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg as second class passenger (ticket number SC/PARIS 2163, £12 17s 6d). He shared a cabin with Noël Malachard and an unknown man.

On 14 April, after lunch, he was on deck together with Marie Jerwan and Malachard. Lévy pointed at a lifeboat and said: "I'm sure, if they lower these boats, the falls will be to short. Of course I would prefer to go down with the ship rather sitting in one of these boats." After the collision, he met Marie Jerwan on her way back to her cabin from the boat deck, where she had looked out for the iceberg. Marie told him of the danger, but he just smiled. When she came back from her cabin, Lévy met her on B-Deck starboard side. He, together with Malachard and their cabin-mate told her: "We'll take care of you.". They went to the Boat-Deck and Marie Jerwan was helped by them into lifeboat 11. The men shouted: "Good-bye!", when the boat was lowered and waved their hands. That was the last time when Lévy was seen.

Lévy died in the sinking. His body, if recovered, was never identified.

Sources
Contract Ticket List, White Star Line 1912 (National Archives, New York; NRAN-21-SDNYCIVCAS-55[279])
Marriages, Births, Deaths and Injuries. White Star Line 1912, Board of Trade 1912 (PRO London, BT 100/260).

References
Günter Bäbler (1998) Reise auf der Titanic. Chronos, Zürich
Alan Hustak (1999) Titanic: The Canadian Story. Véhicule Press. ISBN1-55065-113-7.

Acknowledgements
Alan Hustak, Canada
Hermann Söldner, Germany