Claude Harari

BROWNSVILLE, TX. – Claude Harari, a successful businessman, devoted husband, and competitive tennis player whose life journey spanned three continents, passed away on Monday, the 6th of October 2025, just two days after celebrating his 90th birthday.

Born on October 4, 1935, in Alexandria, Egypt, to Ralph Harari, a textile manufacturer, and Rachel Safra Harari, Claude attended an English prep-school. French was spoken in the home. Claude developed a lifelong passion for sports, starting with soccer and tennis.

After his parents’ divorce, Claude and his mother moved in with his mother’s parents. His grandfather, Jack Safra, was a money trader.

An International Life

As anti-Semitism intensified in Egypt in the mid-1940s, his grandfather, Jack Safra, arranged for the family’s emigration. At the age of ten, Claude moved with his mother and grandparents to Geneva, Switzerland. He was enrolled in a French boarding school in Lausanne, where he excelled academically and became an excellent tennis player.

The search for permanent citizenship led the family to Montevideo, Uruguay, a neutral country his grandfather dubbed the “Switzerland of South America.” While his family established roots there, Claude continued his studies in Switzerland, flying to Uruguay for visits. His mother remarried Adelberto Rosenberger, a Romanian immigrant to Uruguay. After graduating, Claude moved to Montevideo and began studying engineering at a local French college. However, a friend’s recommendation soon sent him to the United States.

In 1957, Claude moved to Atlanta to attend the renowned engineering program at Georgia Tech. He excelled in his studies and was a competitive tennis player. Claude went on a double date with his roommate. Claude’s blind date was Laverne Rodenberry, then a student at the University of Georgia. She was from a small town near Savannah. They kept in touch.

Career and Family in the US

After earning his engineering degree in 1959, Claude moved to New York. Though offered a lucrative position at the Republic National Bank of New York, a Safra family institution, his passion lay in engineering. He married Laverne in 1962.

Claude began his engineering career at General Ceramics in New Jersey, researching ferro-magnetic components crucial to the new computer industry. Though his starting salary was a modest $50 a week (much of which was lost in company poker games), his skills quickly advanced. He soon moved to Leonard Electric (later Clifford Instruments), where he was tasked with setting up a factory for ferromagnetic components.

The Move to Brownsville and Matamoros

Claude was asked to set up a plant in Mexico as a maquiladora to reduce labor costs. He toured the Texas border and chose Matamoros because he and LaVerne and his engineers could live in nearby Brownsville, Texas and enjoy the beach at South Padre Island.

In 1972, at the start of the maquila movement, Claude and Laverne moved to Brownsville. As the general manager, he successfully established Lepco Industries in Matamoros, manufacturing ferrites, and eventually became a partner in the company. By 1990, the plant was a major employer with over 300 people on its payroll. Due to increasing competition from China, Claude sold the operation in 1996. The new company moved the plant to Arizona. Claude was asked to move to Arizona as manager. Claude declined the offer and retired in Brownsville in 2003.

Community and Legacy

In Brownsville, Claude was a committed member of Temple Beth-El alongside LaVerne whose cheesecakes were famous at fundraisers. He remained an avid tennis player, serving as a charter member of the Brownsville Tennis Association and volunteering countless hours with Laverne at local tournaments. Claude took great, and often vocal, satisfaction in winning matches against much younger players well into his later years.

Claude is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, LaVerne Harari.

Graveside services will be held at ten o' clock in the morning on Friday, the 10th of October 2025 at the Hebrew Cemetery, located at the corner of 2nd and E. Madison Streets in Brownsville.

Memories of Claude may be shared at www.darlingmouser.com.

Personalized funeral arrangements directed by Steven R. Hieu Bailey, CFSP and Staff have been entrusted to the care of Darling-Mouser Funeral Home at 945 Palm Boulevard in Brownsville, Texas 78520, (956) 546-7111.