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IN MEMORY

Tamarr Miansian (Murachanian) - Class Of 1944

Tamarr Margaret “Tami” Murachanian (née Miansian), of Portland, ME, passed away on July 27, 2023, at age 97.  A lovely woman of strength and joy, Tamarr fully enjoyed a long, active and healthy life.  She had a tranquil passing, dying quickly at home with her daughter Jean by her bedside.  Originally from Kenosha, WI, she lived most of her adult life in Los Angeles, CA having relocated to Portland in October 2017 to live with her daughter.

She was born in October 1925 to Haroutune and Serpouhi (née Guergian) Miansian, Armenian immigrants from Turkey.  A child of genocide survivors and the only girl in a family bound by patriarchal traditions, Tamarr pushed herself to personal success, inspiring women then and now.

Raised in a home where Armenian was the only language spoken, Tamarr and her brothers, Minas and Koren, started school with no knowledge of English.  By the third grade Tamarr knew she wanted to go to college but would have to make it happen herself.  Graduating high school in 1944, she worked for a year as a welder in a Kenosha war plant, saving every paycheck for college.  She recently received a Certificate of Recognition from Maine Senator Angus King, acknowledging her contribution to the war effort.  She entered the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1945 and completed her degree in just three years.  After graduation, she taught high school English in a small Wisconsin town, earning her teaching certificate, which would serve her well in later jobs.

In 1950, she married an Armenian from Los Angeles, Leon Murachanian. They had three children, Malcolm, Leon and Jean.  Unfortunately, it was not a good marriage, but Tamarr made the best of it and, as the breadwinner, provided for her family as best she could.  Using her college education and following various stints at teaching and selling newspaper advertisements, she proudly became a Deputy Probation Officer for Los Angeles County, where she worked for 23 years, having retired in 1988.  She was great at her job, investigating and writing thorough probation and sentence reports for court.  Through her work, she learned how to read people, honed her writing skills and made many life-long friends.

After 30 years of marriage, Leon passed away in 1980.  Six months later, one of her co-workers, Irvin Gottlieb, asked her out.  A widower, Irv had been friends with Tami for many years, having known her through a weekly lunch group of probation officers from the Van Nuys office.  Irv and Tami enjoyed a long and loving relationship until his death, also at the age of 97, in 2015.  They traveled abroad together and locally enjoyed steady date nights, typically dinner and a movie.   Irv’s extended family loved Tami and his sons, Jeff and Larry, continued to call her on a regular basis.

Tami was a great storyteller, made friends wherever she went and was active all her life.  An avid reader, she also enjoyed writing, traveling, keeping abreast of current events, participating in heated pool classes and attending various cultural events, particularly plays and concerts.  She also volunteered at the Ararat Home of Los Angeles (an Armenian senior living center) in California and the Portland Conservatory of Music in Maine.

Her Armenian heritage was a key part of her identity, which she shared through stories of her immigrant family and Armenian food.  She was a great cook, and you could never leave her house until she fed you.  If you were sick, she brought the food to you.  This was one of the many ways she showed her love.

Her Christian faith was also important to her, having raised her children in and being an active member of St. Peter’s Armenian Apostolic Church in Van Nuys, CA.  In her later years, she shied away from organized religion, but continued to pray nightly and looked forward to the annual Armenian Christmas church services, as well as other Armenian gatherings in Portland, ME.

Tami had been working diligently to finish her memoir.  In 2012, she joined a group of adult learners at the Wilkinson Senior Center in Los Angeles, taught by Lynne Miller.  There she met interesting strong men and women who also wanted to write their memoirs.  Unfortunately, she had to give up the writing group when she moved to Maine.  When COVID hit in 2020, the resilient group, fondly called WAGS, switched to Zoom and invited her to rejoin.  The class was a haven during COVID, and Tami encouraged her Maine neighbor and now good friend, Jennifer Sarah, to join the group.  Recently, Jennifer has lovingly been helping Tami compile her stories into a book.  To the amusement of Jennifer and Jean, she was endlessly suggesting possible publishers.  Jennifer and Jean will complete the book and have it published.  Many admirers have already asked to read it.

The WAGs were very special to Tami and gave her a joy that filled her heart.  It kept her busy and helped her keep learning and growing.  She often said of her friends, “they are wonderful people, each one of them, you can trust what they say, they speak from their hearts!”  Currently the group is working to publish a book on their COVID experiences.  Tami contributed to this book and entertained new friends by reading her COVID stories.

In a story about her name, she wrote that she was named after her father’s mother, “Tamarr with the rr’s trilled.”  She described her paternal grandmother as “a petite woman, yet she was able to bear ten children… although she was small in stature, Tamarr was energetic, intelligent and surprisingly tough.”  As Jennifer said, “I think our Tami inherited her grandmother’s stature and strengths but enjoyed having fewer (three) children.”

Tami was predeceased by her parents, brothers, and husband.  She is survived by her three children:  Malcolm Murachanian, Leon Murachanian and Jean Murachanian; three grandchildren:  Elizabeth Murachanian, Eric Murachanian and Ashley Stoltzfus; and five great-grandchildren:  Lily Isabel Murachanian, Grace Sofia Murachanian, McKenzy E. Stoltzfus, Gabriel M. W. Stoltzfus and Nora E. Spriggs.

Her family wishes Tami ‘safe travels’, peace of heart, and the warmth of everlasting love.  She will be greatly missed but lives on in the hearts and souls of those she touched.

A service to honor Tami and share memories will be held on Saturday, August 19 at 11:00AM at the Portland Conservatory of Music, where her daughter Jean served as Executive Director from 2015 until her retirement in 2022.

In lieu of flowers, the family has suggested memorial donations may be made to the Ararat Home of Los Angeles, the Armenian Cultural Association of Maine or the Portland Conservatory of Music.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.jonesrichandbarnes.com for the Murachanian family.