Khachik Hajyan

Khachik Hajyan was born on September 13, 1945, a few days after Word War 2 ended and the third of four siblings. He later referenced this as a way to jokingly remind his friends and relatives that he was born in the setting of peace. His parents, Nevart and Hovannes Hajyan, had both emigrated to Damascus years earlier to escape the Armenian genocide. They were members of the reknown Musa Dagh Armenians, whose bravery has been documented extensively in literature and film. Born in Syria, he and his parents repatriated back to Yerevan when Khachik was 2 years old. He met and fell in love with his future wife Anahit, hitting it off in their mutual adoration of Bollywood film. Before marriage, he completed service in the Soviet army. Fortunately, he did not see any combat but spent his winters plodding through the unforgiving cold of Northern Russia near the Finnish border. He and Anahit raised three children, Hakop, Karine and Hasmik. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the political instability in Yerevan led him to hastily move his family to the safety of the United States in 1990. At the age of 45 he restarted life for himself and his family in a new country, emphasizing to his children the need to achieve a higher education than he did. Like many emigrating Armenians, he settled and bought a house in the Los Angeles area. He was a textbook example of pursuing and living the American Dream. His work ethic and life lessons paid off to the people that mattered most to him, his family. His son Hakop successfully took over the family business. His older daughter Karine pursued medicine and is currently a distinguished Ob/gyn physician. His youngest daughter Hasmik pursued professional credentialing as a social worker and currently manages a behavioral health center in San Francisco. All of his children have married in grand style and he has four beautiful grandsons. After retiring from his own retail business, Khachik took a new attitude toward life. No longer burdened by his daily obligations, he found great enjoyment in a new variety of activities. This included gardening, playing backgammon and chess, talking world politics and most importantly spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren. His journey took him to Northern California, where both of his daughters settled down in the Bay Area, and he took great pleasure in finding things to fix in their houses and groom in their gardens. In his final months, he demonstrated to everyone who knew him an extreme happiness in life. He softened the hard edges from his earlier life and put a constant smile on his face, always attempting to keep everyone happy. His death was sudden, tragic and surprising, as he showed no signs of illness or wearing down. Fittingly, in his dying moments he was in the garden working on giving new life by planting an avocado tree to be enjoyed by his family. His life was complete, as he came and left this world in peace. Viewing is on 4/9/16 at 10:00 am at Oak Park Hills Chapel. Located: 3111 N. Main st, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 Armenian prayers and service will be at ST Vartan Church on 4/9/16 at 12:30 pm. Located: 650 Spruce St, Oakland, CA 94610 Following Church service please join us at Beluga Armenian restaurant at 5323 Geary Blvd, San Francisco CA 94121 Visitation Saturday, April 9, 2016 10:00 am-11:30 am Funeral Home Funeral Service Saturday, April 9, 2016 12:30 pm St. Vartan Armenian Church 650 Spruce Street Oakland CA 94610