Shrewsbury – Aharon Gerald Aharonian, of Shrewsbury, passed away Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017 at the age of 93. Gerry was born in Lowell to Mergereos and Prapeon (Alexanian) Aharonian.
He was predeceased by his beloved wife of 62 years, Marion D. Aharonian; his brother, the Very Reverand Mesrob Semerjian, D. D.; and his sisters, Stella Parechanian and Rose Hagopian. He leaves his sister-in-law, Evelyn Eresian of Shrewsbury; his brother-in-law, James Parechanian of Arizona; and his nieces and nephews, Samuel Hagopian and Rosalie Hagopian of Methuen, Paula Hagopian Russo of Windham, N.H., Ara, Melanie and Eva Marie Eresian of Shrewsbury, Vincent Parechanian and his wife Phyllis of Florida, and Rebecca Lauria and her husband Vincent of Arizona. He also leaves a great-niece and great-nephew, cousins, relatives, and friends.
Gerry was a veteran of WWII, serving the army as a sharpshooter in the European African Middle Eastern Theater Campaign. He was wounded at the Battle of the Bulge and awarded two service stars, an American Theater Campaign Ribbon, a Good Conduct Medal and the Purple Heart.
Education was a lifelong passion for Gerry. He graduated from Boston University with a Master of Science Degree in Social Work in 1954. He worked as a Clinical Child Psychologist in Worcester for his entire career. There were patients or the parents of patients that Gerry had helped that would contact him at Christmas every year to thank him for his help.
In the late 1960s, Gerry and Marion travelled to Russia and Yerevan, Armenia as part of a U.S./Soviet Union joint exchange program to study children’s issues. The resulting published work from this trip was an enormous benefit to psychologists everywhere. The trip was also personally meaningful to Gerry and Marion as they were able to go to their ancestral home, Armenia, and were honored to be guests of the Catholicos of all Armenians.
Gerry was a child of survivors of the Armenian Genocide. He had many family members killed in the Genocide and the personal and often painful stories of his family and their community never left him. He was a scholar and he read, wrote and communicated much on the subject. Learning, reading and writing was a lifelong pursuit for Gerry and he never lost his quest for more and more knowledge. He wrote two books, “The Ohanian Family: Descendants of Ohan Ohanian of Mezireh, Armenia” and “Intermarriage and the Armenian-American Community,” as well as numerous articles and papers.
A member of the Armenian Church of Our Saviour, Gerry had served on Parish Council and was a Knight of Vartan. He was recently honored for his work with the ACYOA, the Armenian Youth Organization, at Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Church in Chelmsford.
Gerry was a devoted family man and an inspiration to his family and friends to never stop learning. He will be deeply missed by his family and friends.
Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend a time of visitation on Thursday, Sept. 28, from 10-11 a.m., at the Armenian Church of Our Saviour, 91 Salisbury St., Worcester, with his funeral service to follow at 11 a.m. at the church. Burial will follow at Mountain View Cemetery in Shrewsbury.
Funeral arrangements are under the care of the Chiampa Funeral Home, The Sumner House, 5 Church Rd., Shrewsbury.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Gerry’s name to the Armenian Church of Our Saviour, 87 Salisbury St., Worcester, MA 01609.
