The Last Armenian Genocide Survivor in Haverhill

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By Tom Vartabedian – on April 11, 2009

HAVERHILL, Mass. – As the last remaining Armenian Genocide survivor in
Haverhill, Jennie Vartabedian wears her history – and longevity – with
pride.

A citywide celebration took place in her honor April 8, hosted by the
Hannah Duston Nursing Home where she has resided the past three years
after spending most of her life in Somerville.

City and state officials were high in their praise for the
97-year-old, who witnessed the genocide at the age of 3 in
Dikranagert.

Among those paying tribute were Mayor James Fiorentini and State
Rep. Brian Dempsey. The event was organized by her son Tom and his
wife Nancy in conjunction with Armenian Genocide Month throughout the
Merrimack Valley.

Jennie is among seven remaining survivors in her area and had been
attending commemorations up until two years ago.

She had been an active member of the Holy Cross Armenian Catholic
Church in Cambridge and was always known for her charity to Armenian
causes. She and her late husband Edward operated a Somerville
luncheonette for 30 years.

Following his death in 1975, the restaurant was sold and she began
work for the city of Somerville as an assistant in the medical
clinic. Jennie was well past the octogenarian age when she finally
retired.

For the next 10 years, she drove herself to the gym daily and served
as a role model for people of her generation.

The joy in her life these days is her family, which includes five
grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

`Whatever your life, make sure you have room for God and the church,’
she told the gathering. `God must have had a reason for sparing me.’
From: Baghdasarian