In Memory of Yn. Vartouhi Der Kaloustian

Yeretsgeen Vartouhi Der Kaloustian, born on September 1, 1936 in Beirut, Lebanon, passed away on August 9, 2023, at the age of 86. Yn. Vartouhi’s funeral service took place at St. Illuminator’s Cathedral on Friday, August 18, presided over by H. E. Archbishop Anoushavan, Prelate, followed by an interment service at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Flushing, New York. Yn. Vartouhi was a lifelong faithful and devoted parishioner of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral and member of the Ladies Guild and Mr. & Mrs. Club. She was loved not only by her family but also by the entire St. Illuminator’s community, and she will be truly missed.

The Pastor, Board of Trustees, Altar Servers, Ladies Guild and National Representative Assembly Delegates of St. Illuminator’s extend our heartfelt condolences to Yn. Vartouhi’s children Garo, Shoghig and Nareg, a trustee of our Cathedral, and their families. May God illuminate her soul.

Yn. Vartouhi, daughter of Murad and Serpouhi Sarkissian, grew up with her siblings Sosi, Harout, Anahid and Vartan. She attended school until the 6th grade, when she and her sister Sosi left school to work as seamstresses to support their family.

In September of 1955, she married Rev. Fr. Moushegh Der Kaloustian (of blessed memory) and became Yeretsgeen. In August of 1956, they were blessed with their first son, Garo. In 1957, their daughter Shoghig was born.

Yn. Vartouhi, Der Moushegh, and young Garo and Shoghig began their life in the United States when Der Moushegh was appointed to serve as pastor of St. Hagop Armenian Church in Racine, Wisconsin. After many tearful goodbyes in Lebanon, the family arrived on March 20, 1959 to a happy reception in America, where the Racine community welcomed them with open arms. It is in Racine where the family formed friendships that would last for a lifetime. It is in Racine where Yn. Vartouhi learned to make penerlee (fried cheese boureg) from the ladies in the community, a dish that would become a family favorite. It was also in Racine where, in August of 1962, Yn. Vartouhi and Der Moushegh welcomed their son Nareg.

In 1964, the family moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, to serve the community of Holy Trinity Armenian Church. Then in June of 1969, the family made their most enduring move, this time to New York City, to serve the community of St. Illuminator’s Armenian Apostolic Cathedral.

When her son Nareg was old enough to be left alone, Yn. Vartouhi was finally able to fulfill her unrealized desire to return to work. She first sewed doll clothing and sportswear before finding her calling repairing oriental carpets at a carpet company in New York. She worked there for over 30 years, while raising three children and meeting the needs of a vibrant and bustling Cathedral church as Yerestgeen and as an active member of the Ladies Guild and the Mr. & Mrs. Club. Yn. Vartouhi continued her active service to St. Illuminator’s through the Ladies Guild, baking and cooking for the church, until the last chapter of her wonderful life of devotion and service.

Yn. Vartouhi earned the love, respect and admiration of all who knew her for her selfless and unwavering devotion to our church. She was always ready to help when called upon and did so with dignity, strength and class that served as an example to all of us. She embodied and lived the highest ideal of what is means to be a Yeretsgeen, a true mother to her church and its children.

Speaking of children, Yn. Vartouhi’s pride and joy were her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. There is nothing she wouldn’t do for them. She would cook their favorite dishes when they would visit her. She made sure everyone was fed, so much so that many of her children’s friends wanted her to adopt them! Yn. Vartouhi was everyone’s mother and grandmother. If you told her you liked something, you could be sure that it would arrive in your mailbox in bulk. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren could count on their birthday, Christmas, Halloween, Easter and Valentine’s cards to arrive three weeks before the date. They all remember her saying, “Don’t worry, be happy,” time and time again. Yn. Vartouhi was a true Armenian grandmother who put her family above all else. Life will never be the same without her, but her family will carry on. Their hearts are filled with great sorrow at the loss of their Medz Mama, but their sweet memories of her will see them through their grief and carry and guide them throughout their lives.