Hagop Manjikian: Engineer. Gardener. Athlete. Armenian. Born Nov. 8, 1937, in Kessab, Syria; died Oct. 8, 2022, in Montreal; after a heart attack; aged 84.
Hagop ManjikianCOURTESY OF FAMILY
Hagop Manjikian was the quintessential immigrant; always on the move and seeking out opportunities for himself and his family, all the while searching for a slice of Armenia.
He grew up in a small town populated predominantly by Armenians in northwestern Syria. His early life was spent on his father’s farm but his academic abilities landed him at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon and then Loughborough University in England, where he earned a degree in chemical engineering.
When he returned to Beirut, Hagop met Diroug Menakian while volunteering at an Armenian cultural association. They fell in love and when Hagop was offered a job in Saudi Arabia, he asked her to marry him. Diroug’s father was not keen and wore pajamas for a week as an act of protest. But love won out and in 1966 the couple married and set off to start their lives and raise a family.
Living on a U.S. oil compound in Saudi Arabia was like living in a quirky version of Texas. The couple picked up square dancing, played bridge, joined a yacht club that had no yachts and moved up the tennis ladder. Along the way, they had three kids, Naraig, Sevak and Lalai, who grew up speaking a mixture of Armenian, English and Arabic at home. Hagop was a man of few words in a family of firecrackers. His quiet style of parenting was effective as he provided nuggets of wisdom that shaped his children’s choices, while his love of classical music and reading were gently transferred to his family.
His career took him to offshore oil platforms and refineries across the globe. This meant being away from home for long periods of time. In 1977, the refinery where he worked in Saudi Arabia exploded leaving Diroug frantically watching the flames from their house while appearing calm in front of their children. Though difficult, Hagop enjoyed his work.
Life in Saudi Arabia was idyllic despite the harsh heat, but the family’s time there was limited since Naraig and Sevak would have to report for compulsory military service in the Syrian Army. In 1987, he decided that it was time to leave the Middle East.
Family always came first for Hagop, even if that meant moving halfway around the world to Quebec. And in Canada, Hagop (who used to go by “Jake” at work) reclaimed his Armenian name and immersed himself in Montreal’s Armenian community. Here he devoted himself to the Armenian school, church and cultural association.
Mr. Manjikian grew tomatoes in the Arabian desert and in Montreal he tended a garden that bore flowers, fruits, and vegetables for over 30 years.COURTESY OF FAMILY
One of Hagop’s proudest professional achievements was his work on the Hibernia oil platform in Newfoundland. His contribution was his way of thanking Canada for giving his family sanctuary. He never collected knick-knacks but kept a small model of the Hibernia platform in the family’s living room.
Outside of work, Hagop remained true to his farming background. His ability to grow tomatoes in the Arabian desert was a testament to his stubbornness. In Montreal, he tended a garden that bore flowers, fruits and vegetables for more than 30 years.