Richard Assoian

May 15, 1929 - February 12, 2021

Richard (Dick) Assoian of Lakewood, NJ passed away peacefully on the morning of February 12, 2021 after a battle with cancer. He was 91. The youngest child of Armenian immigrants, Richard was raised during the Depression in New York City. Instilled with the values of work and self-determination, he joined the work force right after high school. Richard spent his professional life in the printing industry, starting as a photo-engraver for a small family business in New York that he rose to own and guide into the computer age. He also met a young woman there, Helen, who became his wife of more than 50 years and predeceased him in 2007. Richard and Helen spent their married life in northern New Jersey where they raised three sons, Richard, Ronald and Robert, all of whom married and have children of their own. He was active in the Holy Cross Armenian Church of Union City, NJ and was a member of the parish council for several years. Richard’s family was his passion; he hosted or attended every major family event including college graduations for each of his grandchildren, the last one when he was age 89. He was blessed with a second love in Gelorma (Chomie) Persson, also of Lakewood, with whom he shared the last 12 years of his life. He treated her children and grandchildren as his own. In addition to Helen, Richard is predeceased by his sisters, Helen Derderian and Susan Baker, and his grandson, Alex. He is survived by his three sons, two daughter in-laws, Val and Elizabeth, and six grandchildren Michael, Katie, Adam, Amy, Kevin, and Jonathan. A private funeral service will be held at St. Leon’s Armenian Church in Fairlawn, NJ on February 16, followed by an internment alongside his wife, Helen, at the George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to St. Leon’s Armenian Church, Deborah Heart and Lung Center (Four Seasons chapter), or the American Cancer Society. A celebration of Richard’s life will be held with his and Gelorma’s family and many friends later in the year, once we can safely gather.