Obituary of Elisa Khachian

Elisa Khachian of Fairfield, CT passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 26 at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Bridgeport, CT. She was surrounded by her four children and eleven grandchildren. She was 89. Elisa was born in Worcester, MA on May 6, 1935 to Hrag and Mihran Tufenkjian (Armenian Genocide Survivors). She is preceded by her husband Richard Khachian of Norwalk, CT who died in 2005. Also preceded by her sister Gloria Tufenkjian and brother Armen Tufenkjian both of Worcester, MA. Richard and Elisa met on a blind date at the Avon Theater on Thayer Street in Providence, RI while Elisa was attending RISD and Richard was a student at Brown University. A week after Elisa’s graduation in June 1957, they married and lived in Cambridge, MA while Richard continued his education at Harvard Law School and Elisa taught Elementary School Art. The young couple eventually settled in Norwalk, CT later moving to Fairfield, CT where they raised their four children. Elisa was an accomplished and prolific freelance artist, specializing in watercolor and watercolor mixed media collage. She won numerous awards and was published in multiple art books. A member of Art/Place Gallery in Fairfield, Silvermine Art Guild in New Canaan among others. A friend to all she met. Elisa made sure her eleven grandchildren all had access to her art studio. The weekend of her 50th RISD Reunion in 2007, Elisa and granddaughter Christine (a RISD Junior at the time) participated in the famed and juried Alumni/Student Art show on Benefit Street. Her legacy is the art she leaves behind for all to cherish and enjoy! She is survived by her four children and their spouses; Daughter Carol Garinther of Stevenson, Maryland and son-in-law Geoffrey Garinther, daughter Nancy Quinn of Fairfield, CT and son-in-law Karl Quinn, son Gary Khachian of Darien, CT and daughter-in-law Ani Khachian, daughter Susan Hendricks of Holderness, NH and son-in-law Pat Hendricks. Elisa also leaves behind eleven grandchildren—Christine, Andrew, Melanie, Alex, Charlie, Ben, Christian, Hanna, Natalie, Tommy and John along with two great grandsons—Rooney and James and many cousins. Her family will receive friends on Friday, Nov 1 from 5-8 PM at the Magner Funeral Home, 12 Mott Avenue, Norwalk. Funeral Services to be held on Sat., Nov 2 at 10:30 AM at St. Gregory the Enlightener Armenian Church, 1131 North St., White Plains, NY, followed by burial at Riverside Cemetery, 81 Riverside Ave., Norwalk, CT. In lieu of flowers please send donations to St. Gregory Cultural Committee, or RISD at give.risd.edu or Children of Armenia Fund at coaf.org