Angela Manash

Not many people saw or spoke to Angela in the last few years of her life. Severely debilitated by disease, she was fully dependent on others for her every need. But alert and cognizant except at the very last, she smiled and warmly greeted anyone who approached her. She genuinely loved her caretakers, her visitors, and most of all her family.
Angela was born September 6, 1926 in Bucharest, Romania. Her father, Krikor Baldjian, and her mother, Sirpouhi Yacoubian, were from Tekirdag or Rodosto, Turkey, which is ancient Byzantium. Krikor passed away when Angela was nine, leaving her and her older sister Arshaluis to be raised alone by Sirpouhi. Her first cousin, Vazken Baldjian, would later become Vazken the 1st, the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the years 1955 to 1994.
Angela never completed high school, but she did excel in her studies while attending and was particularly gifted at reciting Armenian poetry. Her love of drama and performance led her to theatre where, after a string of luckless suitors, she met her husband, the community renowned musical conductor, Ara Manash. The couple married on February 14, 1958. They were blessed with a son, Varujan, in 1959 and a daughter, Ani, in 1962. For years, Angela sang soprano in both the church choir and the Komitas and Hamazkayin choirs which Ara conducted.
The harsh conditions of living in a communist society drove the Manashes, like many other Romanian-Armenians, to leave the country. In 1966, the family relocated to Los Angeles, California. Ara taught music in Armenian private schools while Angela found clerical work at Blue Cross Insurance. The children attended Hollywood High and both graduated from UCLA. Angela faithfully commuted on a bus to Woodland Hills from Hollywood for approximately 20 years. Finally, after the children had grown and moved out, Ara and Angela bought their first private home in Glendale in 1992. No sooner had they moved when the first grandchild, Erica, was born to Ani and her husband David Bogosian in 1993. Kyle followed in 1995 and Daphne in 1997. A fourth grandchild, Arekg, as born to Varujan and his wife, Anahid Gharibyan, in 1999.
Just as the youngest of the grandchildren began to outgrown Grandma Angela's babysitting, her health began to deteoriate. There was no diagnosis for years until, in 2008, on an emergency hospital visit, the doctor said she had dementia. Subsequently, a major effort was made by the family to keep Angela as strong and as comfortable as possible. Angela lived at home until September 26, 2013 when she went to rest in her eternal home with the Lord. All of us who loved her are extremely grateful that her passing appeared neither painful or very uncomfortable.
Talented, beautiful and spiritual, Angela really wanted nothing more in life than her own private home in which to share the affection of her husband and children and grandchildren. She also had a deep love for her sister Arshaluis, who resides today in New York CIty. Angela mentioned her sister many times in her last years and days. No doubt, their inevitable reunion one day will be a long awaited event for each sister.
We will always remember Angela because she never denied anyone her warmth and affection. But lest we mistakenly give the impression that Angela only lived emotionally, please know that she was tough underneath it all. She knew that life was a fight, as she once told her daughter, and always prayerfully trusted God. To the very end, with the prompting of her devoted caretaker, she would sing and recite the Lord's prayer. Angela left our world as one of those quiet, unsung heroes whose earthly credentials may simply read "devoted wife, mother and grandmother" but, who, as a spiritual vessel of the ancient Armenian Christian faith, has not only empowered those around her, but through her children, grandchildren, and all those following, will continue to make an immense impact on a spiritually starved world for generations to come.