In memory of Varoujan Karentz

Varoujan Karentz, age 98 of Jamestown, Rhode Island, passed away peacefully on Nov. 7, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was the beloved husband of Vartanoosh Rose (Haroian) Karentz. Varoujan was born and raised in Edgewood, Rhode Island. He was the son of the late Soghomon and Vergine Karentz, both immigrants and survivors of the Armenian Genocide of 1915. He lived in Millis, Massachusetts, for 32 years before moving to Jamestown in 1989 and then to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in October 2025. Besides his wife, he leaves three children, Deneb Karentz of San Francisco, California; Sona Andrews and her husband Steve Samuelson of Portland, Oregon; and Christopher Karentz and his wife Lesley of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. There are also three grandchildren and one great-grandson: Christopher Andrews of Portland, Oregon; Alexander Karentz, his wife Karen Bravo and their son Samuel of Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Sarah Karentz and her husband William McEwan of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Karentz was a veteran of both World War II and the Korean Conflict, serving in the U.S. Coast Guard and the US Navy as a navigation quartermaster. He was an Eagle Scout and assistant scoutmaster of Troop 3 Cranston. Varoujan worked for Raytheon for 33 years in various positions and retired in 1989 as director of international affairs and senior vice president of Raytheon Overseas Ltd. in Lexington, Massachusetts. Professionally, he was a member of the American Rocket Society, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Society of Logistic Engineers and the Armed Forces Communications Association. He was active with the National Security Industrial Association and the International Committee of the Aerospace Industry Association of America. Karentz also served on the board of directors and as vice president of the New England Business Center and the Boston World Trade Center. He was involved in the design, installation and testing of various advanced radar and missile development programs during his career with Raytheon. Overseas assignments included the Anti-Missile Radar Site on the island of Kwajalein, Marshall Islands, and vice president and program manager of Raytheon Technical Assistance Co., Hawk Missile System installation in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. After his retirement Karentz joined the International Executive Service Corps as a consultant, assisting Russian military equipment manufacturing companies in Siberia to privatize and convert military facilities to commercial operations. He remained a member of St. Vartanantz Armenian Church in Providence throughout his life; a past president of the Armenian Youth Federation, Providence Chapter; and one of the founding board of directors of the Armenian Youth Foundation. He was the founding chairman of the Armenian Historical Association of Rhode Island; a board member of Heritage Harbor Corporation Museum in Providence, Rhode Island; and a longtime member of the Jamestown Historical Society. He served on the board of directors of Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association in Jamestown, Rhode Island, from 2002 to 2025. As a board member, he secured several grants to maintain the lighthouse and surrounding buildings and to support various educational programs at the museum. He created numerous historical story modules and introduced interactive computer display technology to the museum. His diligence and direction expanded the museum into a popular visitor destination. In recognition, he received the 2015 the Antoinette Downing Volunteer Service Award for advocacy and preservation from the Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission. And in 2025, the Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association dedicated a room in the museum to Rose and Varoujan Karentz in recognition of their contributions. Varoujan was a ham radio operator. He was president of the Raytheon Radio Club, member of the Providence Radio Association and the El-Ray Radio Club in Waltham, Massachusetts. He was a contributing technical author to the American Radio Relay League journal. An active cruising yachtsman for many years, he and his wife sailed offshore annually from Rhode Island to the Bahama Islands. He also served as the commodore of the Southern Cross Sailing Association and worked as a volunteer docent at the Herreshoff Marine Museum in Bristol, Rhode Island; volunteered on the tall ship Oliver Hazard Perry; and served on the Advisory Council of the USS Saratoga Museum Project. He conceived and co-founded the Youth Sailing Foundation of Indian River County in Vero Beach, Florida, where children are taught to build, sail and race their own sailboats. In addition to numerous technical articles, Varoujan has written a number of articles for newspapers, magazines and newsletters. He authored three historical books (“Mitchapert the Citadel: A History of Armenians in Rhode Island,” 2004; “Beavertail Light Station,” 2008; “The Life Savers: Rhode Island’s Forgotten Service,” 2012) and co-authored a fourth book (“Untold Stories from World War II Rhode Island,” 2019). The funeral and burial will be private. Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to The Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association, P.O. Box 83, Jamestown, RI 02835, or St. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church, 402 Broadway, Providence, RI 02909. Kindly visit www.PatrickQuinnFuneralsandCremations.com for information and online condolences.

In memory of Varoujan Karentz

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