Obituary: Mardiros Martin Kanayan (1938-2009)
By Armenian Weekly Staff
December 30, 2009
Mardiros Martin Kanayan died on Sat., Dec. 26 at the age of 71 after a
long illness. Marty was born May 1, 1938 in Bucharest, Romania to
Gayane Kanayan and the noted Armenian hero General Dro Kanayan. He
lived in Romania, Germany, Italy, and Lebanon before settling in
Watertown, Mass. in 1951. He graduated from Northeastern University in
Boston and served in the United States Army Signal Corp. He was
employed by Shell Oil Company in sales and marketing and as an
economist in Shell’s Pecten International before retiring in 1997.
After retiring, Marty took an active interest in the Republic of
Armenia. In 1998, he was invited to attend the 80th anniversary of the
first Armenian Republic and at that time the Armenian government asked
to have his father’s remains returned to his homeland. Marty worked
tirelessly on this project and was delighted when General Dro’s
remains were re-buried in Armenia in 2000. The reception of the
Armenian government and the Armenian people moved him deeply. In
addition to his many trips to Armenia, he loved to travel,
particularly cruising.
Marty married Alice Daghlian in 1967 and they had two sons, Dro and
Philip. He was predeceased by his parents and three brothers, Luther,
Suren, and Gourgen. He is survived by his wife, Alice, his sons Dro
and wife Lynn of North Andover, Mass., and Philip and wife Catherine
Grace of Houston, and one granddaughter, Grace. He is also survived by
his sister, Olga Proudian of Watertown, and many nieces and nephews.
The family will receive friends on Wed., Dec. 30 from 7-9 p.m. at the
Klein Funeral Home, 16131Champion Forest Dr. in Spring, Texas. An
Armenian funeral will be held on Thurs., Dec. 31 at 10 a.m. at the
Klein Funeral Home. Burial will follow at the Houston National
Cemetery, 10410 Veterans Memorial Drive in Houston, Texas.
Please, no flowers. Memorials in Marty’s name may be made to Armenia
Fund, U.S.A., Inc., 80 Maiden Lane, Suite 301, New York, NY 10038 for
the General Dro Institute.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
