DETROIT — Harry Aram Keoleian died on August 14. He was born to Charles and Sarah Keoleian. His father, Charles, immigrated to the US from the village of Everek and his mother Sara, born in 1905, née Sahakian, was from the village of Yozgat. They were married in 1922 in New York City.
Harry Keoleian was born in Troy, NY, the first of three children. The Keoleian family, including Harry’s grandmother, Altoun, eventually settled in Dearborn, Mich. Their home on Orchard Street was a haven for family and friends and a garden paradise with pear, plum, apple, cherry, fig and peach trees, raspberries and grapes and roses.
He married his wife, Mary Hovnanian, on April 28, 1956. They raised three children: Gregory, Laurie and Charles, first in the Garden City and then moved to their home in Farmington Hills.
He graduated from Fordson High School in 1944 and served in the US Army in Japan, at the end of World War II. He graduated from Wayne State University with a bachelor’s in business administration in 1954, and also received a certificate in accountancy and financial administration from the Walsh Institute of Accountancy in 1955. He was a certified public accountant and worked for several large accounting firms and companies such as Ford Motor and Hughes & Hatcher. He built a suc- cessful practice and never retired from his most recent partnership, Keoleian, Massimilla and Associates.
He was dedicated to the Armenian Church and taught Sunday school for more than 50 years and was beloved by generations of students. His strong faith not only guided his day to day interactions with others, but also was a source of strength during his cancer.
He contributed his time and energy to many charitable organizations. He served on many committees and boards including the AGBU Manoogian School, Camp Ararat, the Armenian Old Age Home and Focus Armenia.
