Cleopatra Egypt

Cleopatra Egypt, beloved mother, sister, and daughter, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 64 on February 17, 2026, at her home in Harlem, New York.

Cleopatra was born on April 13, 1961, to Carmelle and Gerard Prepetit in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She spent her first 10 years of life in her homeland and emigrated to the United States with her family when she was 11 years old. She remained profoundly rooted in her Haitian identity throughout her life, teaching Haitian dance and culture as well as authoring and publishing a novel titled Magical Horses: An Original Haitian Folktale. This work reflects her childhood in Haiti and explores the layered world of Haitian mythology, an area in which she was an expert.

Cleopatra was an artist, educator, storyteller, writer and spiritual worker, among many other roles that she played throughout her life. She graduated from St. John’s University in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in French literature and went on to study both French literature and education at the master’s level. In 1996, she completed her screenplay “Cleopatra’s Cordoba: Age of the Moors,” a period piece about forbidden love based on the era of the Moors in Andalucía. In 2004, she was selected to be featured at the American Museum of Natural History in an exhibit titled “Living in America: The Haitian Experience.”

Cleopatra was trilingual, fluent in English, French, and Haitian Creole. She worked as a legal French and Creole interpreter for many years, supporting her community by providing vital access to language and procedural expertise during court proceedings. Cleopatra was a fierce advocate and fought passionately for herself and those she loved throughout her life. She adored her only daughter, Shana, and was infinitely proud of her accomplishments. She loved and often cared for Shana’s dog, Quimby, as well as her other “granddogs” who included Georgie and Matlock.

Cleopatra was predeceased by her mother, Carmelle, and father, Gerard. She is survived by her daughter, Shana, her siblings, Khan, Stradine, Ralph, Martine, and Gerard, as well as her beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles. Her singular presence is missed by all who knew and loved her. Her legacy will live on forever.

Donations may be made in Cleopatra Egypt’s name to Flanbwayan Haitian Literacy Project (Flanbwayan.org), an organization Cleopatra actively supported.

To contribute, please visit the dedicated donation link below:

https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/476YHC9NNSYFU

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.