Mrs Sīlānah Iskandar Nāsīf Abī Dāghir

Mrs Sīlānah Iskandar Nāsīf Abī Dāghir, also known as Celiney Alexander Yasbeck, was a 17 (seventeen) year-old Syrian-Lebanese survivor of the Titanic disaster. Born on July 15, 1894, in Hardīn, Lebanon, she embarked on a journey that would forever change her life and make her a part of one of the most infamous maritime tragedies in history.

Early Life and Background

Sīlānah was born into a large family, the daughter of Jirjis Nāsīf Iskander and Kattūr Hannā. She grew up with several siblings, including:

• George (born circa 1881)
• Amīnah Mubārik (born circa 1887)
• Emeline (1897-1996)
• Brothers Shibble, Zouk, and Zahi

Her early life in Lebanon was soon to be dramatically altered by marriage and a fateful voyage across the Atlantic.

A New Chapter: Marriage and Titanic Journey

How did Sīlānah come to be on the Titanic?

In early 1912, Sīlānah married Antūn Mūsà Yazbak, a native of her village who had previously emigrated to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Antūn, who ran a shoe-making business with his brothers in Plymouth, Pennsylvania, had returned to Lebanon specifically to wed Sīlānah.

The newlyweds, along with Sīlānah’s sister Amīnah and her two sons, Halīm Mubārik and Jirjis Mubārik, boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg as third-class passengers. Their ticket (number 2659) cost £14 9s 1d.

The Fateful Night: April 14-15, 1912

What happened to Sīlānah during the Titanic’s sinking?

On the night of April 14, 1912, Sīlānah’s life took a dramatic turn. As the Titanic struck an iceberg and began to sink, she found herself in a fight for survival. According to her own account:

With a large crowd gathered near the lifeboats Mrs Yazbak was anxious that she and her family would not get a place. She became separated from her sister and ended up leaving the ship with her two nephews in a lifeboat she described as being filled with twenty women and five crewmen.

During the night, Sīlānah and her nephews were transferred to another lifeboat. From there, she witnessed the final moments of the Titanic:

• The ship’s lights disappearing row by row
• Several loud explosions as the ship made its final plunge

While Sīlānah survived the disaster, her husband Antūn did not. It was only aboard the rescue ship Carpathia that she realized he had been lost.

Life After the Titanic

How did the Titanic disaster impact Sīlānah’s life?

Upon arriving in New York, Sīlānah was greeted by her father. However, her ordeal was not over:

• Her nephews fell ill with measles and were detained in hospital
• Sīlānah and her sister remained with them for the rest of the month
• A legal battle ensued over her late husband’s will, which had made no provision for her

On January 20, 1914, Sīlānah remarried to Elias Michael Decker, another native of Hardīn. They settled in Norfolk, Virginia, where they raised a large family of twelve children.

Legacy and Later Years

As interest in the Titanic grew in the 1940s and 1950s, Celiney (as she was then known) became a sought-after source for local media. She corresponded with Walter Lord during the writing of “A Night to Remember” and was credited in the book.

Celiney remained a devout Catholic and a member of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. She kept her Levantine traditions alive, particularly through her cuisine.

What were Celiney’s final years like?

In her later years, Celiney faced health challenges:

• Developed diabetes
• Suffered a heart attack

On March 10, 1966, at the age of 71 (seventy-one), Celiney passed away at the DePaul Hospital in Norfolk. She was laid to rest alongside her second husband in St Mary’s Catholic Cemetery.

Celiney’s life, spanning from the shores of Lebanon to the decks of the Titanic and finally to Norfolk, Virginia, is a testament to resilience and survival. Her story continues to captivate those interested in the human stories behind the Titanic disaster.