Jack Papazian, 69, a pillar of Philadelphia community

Published: Thursday May 21, 2009

Jack Papazian, 1940–2009.

Philadelphia - Jack Papazian of Ambler, Pennsylvania, died on May 19, Archibishop Oshagan Choloyan announced.

Mr. Papazian was a leader in the Armenian community of Philadelphia.

He served as chairperson of the board of trustees of Saint Gregory Armenian Church from 1994 to 1998 and again from 2004 to 2007. He represented his church in the National Representative Assembly from 1986 to 1994, from 1997 to 2005, and in 2008 and 2009. He chaired the assembly for eight of those years.

A member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation since 1978, he served for 20 years as advisor to the Philadelphia chapters of the Armenian Youth Federation. When the AYF Olympics were held in Philadelphia, Mr. Papazian played a leading role.

His involvement with the youth movement, as a guide and soft-spoken mentor, extended to Camp Haiastan, where he served first as member then as chairperson of the board from 1986 to 2001, and the Armenian Youth Foundation, Inc., where he was a member of the board from 1987 to his death.

Mr. Papazian was also a member of the board of the Montgomery County Norristown Public Library since 2004.

Jack Papazian was born in Philadelphia on March 11, 1940, to Satenig and Yervant Papazian. He had two brothers, Edward and Gary. He was a great athlete and loved playing baseball. He graduated from West Philadelphia High School, where he played baseball. He also played the violin and the oud.

Mr. Papazian attended Penn State University, majoring in labor management relations. He received an MBA from Drexel University.

He married Armine Giragosian, daughter of the prominent activist Arthur Giragosian, in 1962 at St. Gregory's Church, 16th and Oxford Streets. They moved to Germany for two years while Mr. Papazian served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

After returning to the United States, Mr. Papazian worked for Merck Pharmaceuticals for over 35 years. He retired from the company as director of administration.

He is survived by his wife Armine; son David, his wife Carol, and their children Eric and Taline; and daughter Cindy, her husband Tim McHugh, and their children Kail and Alexandra.

Archbishop Choloyan will preside over funeral services on Friday, May 22, at 11 a.m., at St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church, 8701 Ridge Ave., Philadelphia. Friends may offer their condolences to the family prior to the service from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m.