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My mother, Louise Kazanjian, died on Jan. 8, 2006. The cause was bladder cancer. Her death was swift and not painful. She was vigorous to the end. Six weeks prior to her death she was playing tennis with her friends and on the ball machine in Hilton Head. My family and I will have many lasting and loving memories of Louise. Here are some: a story her grand daughter wrote, a eulogy her grandson read and a slide show that I created for her memorial held in Hilton Head on June 27th 2006. Please click here to view PowerPoint slide show. (download may be slow)
ANYA’S STORY It was a warm summer night. The trees swayed in the breeze. The full moon bathed a field of grass in its gleaming white presence. An old woman stood in the field silently; her head upraised, her arms outstretched. The cool breeze whipped around her, gently guiding her upward. The woman’s pruney feet slowly lifted off the ground. Her last toe left the moist dew-covered grass, to float steadily upward. Her tangled gray hair streamed out behind her. The wind whipped around the old woman making a cocoon of wind to rest her tired body. Slowly the woman’s beautiful image disintegrated into the air. The wind died down until nothing but the soft breeze rustling the leaves was left to hear. But was it really over? No. From where the old woman once stood, a newly born butterfly flew out, to unsteadily fly away into the darkness. It was a warm summer night. The trees swayed in the breeze. The full moon bathed a field of grass in its gleaming white presence. by Anya Kazanjian, age 11
Eulogy by Grandson, John McGoldrick When we thought about what we might say at my grandmother’s memorial, my brother and I decided we would share some memories of my grandmother that have stuck with us throughout the years, and will continue to stay with us. Growing up in New Jersey our grandparents lived close by, about an hour or so car ride up the New Jersey Turnpike. We would take frequent trips to “Grandma Rivervale’s house” as we would call it, to distinguish her from our other Grandmother who lived in the Bronx, in New York City. We remember food playing a prominent role in her life; she was either discussing it, shopping for it, preparing it, serving it or eating it. And what wonderful food she would prepare; she was a wizard in the kitchen and spent many hours of her life making food for others. We mostly remember the Armenian dishes – choereg, boureg, yalanchie, dolma, keufteh, hummus, and of course, the choermees – a most famous cured, spiced meat that has become legendary in our family. She also had a recipe for rice, that despite our efforts, we can’t quite duplicate. Over Thanksgiving and Christmas our family would always gather and this was a time for my grandmother to really shine, outdoing herself year after year with labor intensive dishes worthy of display on a cooking show. One tradition that we hope continues was to bake choereg, and hide a single dime inside one of the pieces – whoever found the dime, it was said to bring luck for the rest of the year. My grandmother was able to express a large part of herself through her cooking, carrying on traditions that had been passed down to her, and leaving her legacy of food within her family and friends.
Our grandmother seemed to be around quite a bit when we were growing up. Her family was so very important to her. She would play wiffel ball in the backyard with us, hide and seek and of course she would be on the other side of the net while my grandfather was giving us tennis lessons. She seemed to be up for anything we wanted to do. When we were in middle and high school, we spent almost every Spring break here in Hilton Head with my grandparents. We would play tennis just about every day, we would run on the beach, and of course, there would be lots of eating. She would often tire us out, staying in amazing physical condition throughout most of her life, looking vital nearly up to the point of her passing. Our grandmother used to have this glow about her – you just had to see it to know what we mean. There was a sparkle in her eye from all the energy she had and would put into life.
We experienced a lot of “firsts” with my grandmother because despite being domestic and family oriented, Grandma also had a sense of adventure. She went to Europe with my mother fairly recently, as her first trip outside of the country. She came to visit Colorado and saw the Rocky Mountains for the first time, and had her first soak in a hot springs. Had there been time she most certainly would have done more traveling. She would communicate with us through email which was always very sweet – writing to us like she was composing a letter. And although new technology would often confuse her (remember any group picture she would try to take?) it never stopped her from continuing to try and learn. We spent time teaching her how to use a computer, accessing the internet to the point where she could do it on her own. It amazed me that despite her age, she would embrace new things with a real passion.
There was never anything anyone could ever say to slander her grandchildren – right behind our parents, she was our strongest supporter. Whether we were in the right, or in the wrong, whether we won or lost, she never stopped loving us with all her heart. Despite the reality, there was a small part of us where she had us convinced that we could be the best at whatever we wanted to do. This is the gift she has left us. As a grandmother to Sean, Elena, Anya, and me - we will all miss her very much and may she live on in our memories. |