John Krikorian was born August 24, 1932 in Hartford, Connecticut. John’s parents, Hovnatan and Elizabeth Krikorian immigrated to the U.S. as orphans and survivors of the 1915 Armenian Genocide from Kharpet, Armenia. John grew up in New Britain, CT with his siblings, Lucy, George and Steven.

He graduated from Bryant University, receiving a B.S./B.A. in Management and Accounting. Shortly after graduation John entered the United States Army as a sergeant during the Korean War. He also attended the University of Connecticut while seeking his master’s in business administration.During a visit to Atlantic City, NJ, John attended an Armenian dance hosted by the A.Y.F. It was there that he caught the eye of Elsie Manoogian of Cleveland, OH. Shortly thereafter they married in 1956 in Hartford, Connecticut. Together they started a family that grew to 8 children: Richard, Diane, Nishan, Gregory, Stephen, David, Tamara and the youngest, Ara.

Raising a family of such size did not stop John from finding success. Within a few years of his marriage he joined the Hartford Currant as a travel reporter. Soon he shifted into marketing and advertising for the paper and rose to the level of Executive Vice President/Advertising Director. After nearly 30 years, John grew fitful and left the Hartford Courant for the Glendale area in 1989. Joined by his children (in particular Greg) he established Business Life Magazine in 1990, followed by Krikorian Marketing and Senior Living.

He was active in numerous civic organizations, agencies, and community associations. He spent time working for causes important to those whose voices were less heard such as the disabled. He was proud of his Armenian heritage and tirelessly raised awareness of Armenian issues in both states of Connecticut and California.

John loved his community, friends, and his family; He was proud of his sons and daughters, he was proud of the many warm friends he had made from the east coast to west coast, he was proud of any Armenian he met who had done something good (from policemen to firemen or Doctors to teachers), he was proud to be an Armenian (son of genocide survivors), he was proud to be an American (an Army Veteran), but what he was most proud of was marrying the girl named Elsie from Cleveland

John passed on April 6, 2013. He is survived by his wife Elsie Krikorian, and their 8 children and 22 grandchildren. He was a beloved father, husband, grandfather and friend. And shall always be remembered with magazine in hand and a warm smile on his face. The Rotary Club honored Krikorian's great ability to communicate and to build bridges in the community - both essential talents for turning good ideas into accomplishments

In lieu of flowers, the Family of John Krikorian requests that donations be made to the John Krikorian Journalism Scholarship Fund at the Community Foundation of the Verdugos.Please make checks out to:CFV with reference to the Krikorian Journalism Fund .
 
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