Sarah Moradian

WORCESTER-Sarah Moradian passed away in her home on April 28, 2022 at the age of 91 surrounded by family and friends. She was the daughter of Garabed and Yeghsa Garabedian. Sarah is survived by her husband of 65 years, Jean-Paul; her nieces and nephew, Martin, Debra, Dianne, and Lauren; her great nieces and nephews, Stephanie, Jessica, Michael, Matthew, Samuel and Elizabeth; and her God daughters, Jana and Hannah. And while not directly related, she always considered Chris, Thalia, Lynda, Mark, Jay and Kristin her nieces and nephews, as well. She is pre-deceased by her sisters, Sonia and Constance, and her niece and nephew, Suzanne and Gregg.

Sarah grew up in a prominent Worcester family. Her father, Garabed, had come from Harpoot in 1913 and through his talent and hard work, became a well-known Armenian baker. Sarah often shared stories of her family's drive to church in her father's 1936 Buick, with him and his wife, Yeghsa in front and their three daughters, Sarah, Sonia and Connie joking loudly in back. All three had been baptized in the Armenian church on Laurel Street—the first Armenia church in the U.S. She met her husband Jean-Paul in 1957 and just four months later became engaged. Sarah and Jean-Paul spent sixty-five happy, devoted years together, sharing their love of travel, food, wine and, as Sarah would put it, joie de vivre.

Sarah was known for her intelligence, sense of humor, elegance and athleticism. As a teenager, she won a gold medal for shot put at the AYF Olympics. She rode horses and could never resist pushing the envelope in her beloved Karmann Ghia. Immediately after high school she got a clerical job at Riley Stoker. She took great pride in her work and strove to expand her knowledge. Sarah quickly moved into the accounting department at Heald Machine where she met a true mentor, Clayton Jones. He recognized Sarah's extraordinary drive to learn and encouraged her to get her degree. Sarah received a BS/BA from Clark University and continued on to New England School of Accounting. She spent the last twenty-two years of her career at Slovin & Co.

Sarah's organizational skills and drive were recognized by all. It led to her appointment as treasurer for the Green Hill Park Coalition where she served for twelve years. She was also treasurer at Holy Trinity Church for two terms. Her connection to the church remained strong throughout her life, volunteering her time, singing in the choir and helping organize fundraisers. Never daunted by a challenge, Sarah thought nothing of starting a specialty food business or buying real estate or enlisting help from her congressman to secure the safe return of a dear friend from Kenya. In all her endeavors, she was successful.
But these accomplishments only touch the surface of who Sarah was. Family and friends have spent many a night around her table enjoying her and Jean-Paul's cooking and lively conversation. Laughter ruled the day in the Moradian household, and her influence was felt by all who knew her. She became the de facto teacher of all things artistic and worldly to her many nieces and nephews—exposing them to their first museum or Armenian history lesson. Her joy of travel still thrives within her nieces and nephews today.

Besides being a scholar of Armenian history, she embraced the culture and food of France well before meeting her husband, a resident of Marseille. They took many trips to France—most notably, piloting a peniche down the River Seine. And as if these interests were not enough, Sarah spent countless hours perfecting a recipe or tending her garden, where she had a knack for making anything grow.

Sarah and Jean-Paul were blessed with many friends, like Marion Yagoobian, a friend for 51 years; Ardenne Sonnenburg and Paul Warren; and her newest friend, Lillian Kamau. Sarah cast a long shadow and will be missed by all.

Visiting Hours are Wednesday, May 4th from 5 to 7pm at Callahan Fay Caswell Life Celebration Home, 61 Myrtle St. A Funeral Service will be held Thursday, May 5 at 11 in Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, 635 Grove St. Burial will follow in Hope Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Sarah's church, a place she so loved.