Mary Vartanian, the oldest known survivor of the Armenian genocide, passed away in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, on 28 June, at the age of 111.
Mary Vartanian was born in Aintab, Ottoman Empire (now known as Gaziantep in Turkey), on 15 (or 17) August 1914. She was the eldest of four children born to parents Hagop and Maritsa Ouzghoushian. Her family was not deported during the Armenian Genocide, in part due to the protection of a paternal cousin, Dr. Garabed Yesayan. Mary was too young to remember much about her early life in Gaziantep, but she knew that her father was a miller who produced cracked wheat. She had two sisters and one brother, and the entire family eventually reached Aleppo, in what is now Syria. Mary attended the Grtasirats Armenian School in Aintab, which was founded in 1924, and studied there through the sixth grade.
Mary was introduced to Hovhannes Vartanian by her cousin, and they married in 1935. Hovhannes, like his father, was a talented violinist and also a composer. He performed for the Armenian Radio of Aleppo and was eventually awarded the Syrian National Medal of Recognition for his musical achievements. His career took him across the Middle East, where he frequently performed. Mary and Hovhannes had six children together—four sons and two daughters. Although Hovhannes primarily spoke Turkish and knew little Armenian when they married, Mary gradually taught him the language.
In 1965, the Vartanians relocated to Beirut, Lebanon, to prevent their sons from being conscripted into the Syrian army. Four years later, Hovhannes passed away, and Mary was widowed at the age of 55. Shortly afterward, one of their sons, Zaven, emigrated to the United States and settled in Watertown, Massachusetts. In 1972, Mary and another son joined him. Over the following years, her remaining children also immigrated to the U.S., with the exception of one daughter and her family, who chose to remain in Beirut.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Mary Vartanian during this difficult time.
