Robert Semaan

Robert was born in Kfour, in the district of Nabatiye, in 1965. He grew up with four brothers and two sisters. At seventeen, he enlisted with the Lebanese army, and fought in multiple confrontations; he had his deal of injuries defending Lebanon.

He was loyal, and devoted his life for the love of his home country. He would always say "I only fight for Lebanon". Robert was religious, helpful, loving, generous, and athletic. In the eyes of "Hoda", he was the most beautiful person in the world, inside and out.

He met his wife Hoda in the nineties, they tied the knot in 1996, and had three kids. Robert dedicated his whole life to provide a better life for his family. He saved his retirement fund and kept it for his kids.

Due to his difficult economic condition, and in order to improve his family's situation, Robert moved to Beirut for work. His family followed him when his children became university students, and they lived in Dekwaneh. With the spread of the coronavirus, his family moved back to the south, and Robert stayed alone in Beirut and went back and forth between his house in Kfour and Saifi where he worked as a family private driver.

On August 4, at 6:07 PM, Robert was driving back to the home of the family he worked for. He stopped at a gas station close to the Port of Beirut, to fill the car with fuel. When the explosion rocked the city, a solid object fell on his head, causing internal and external bleeding, as well as a skull fracture. His family tried to call him repeatedly but to no avail. They searched for him amid the chaos and destruction, until the next morning, when they could locate him through the car's GPS. He was evacuated to Saint Joseph Hospital in Dawra. His family went to the hospital and identified his body. He was buried in his hometown leaving a deep scar in the hearts of his loved ones.

The August 4 explosion ripped his loved ones off a last goodbye, a last word, a last true feeling…