John Kazarian
John Kazar Kazarian, 87, of Lake Forest, Illinois passed away, April 15th, 2017 with his wife of over 65 years, Armina Elmas (“Steffie”) Kazarian, at his side. John was placed to rest following a private family service on April 22nd, 2017.
A celebration of life service will be held in John’s memory at 10:30 am, Tuesday, May 23rd at St. James Lutheran Church, 1380 Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, Illinois. An open reception will follow the service and will be held at the Lake Forest Club, 554 N. Westmoreland, Lake Forest, Illinois. Memorials may be made in John’s memory to St. George Armenian Church, 1015 N. McAree, Waukegan, Illinois 60085.
John was born October 21, 1929 in Waukegan, Illinois to Kazar and Mariam Kazarian. He graduated from Waukegan High School in 1945 and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Miami in 1952. On June 16, 1951 he married his beloved Armina Bedrosian in Waukegan, Illinois. John was a true renaissance man. He was a school principal and coach in Mundelein, Illinois for over a decade. He was an entrepenuer who launched a successful group of men’s clothing stores in Waukegan and Vernon Hills. He was a small business owner who turned a corner candy store in Waukegan into a thriving business that enjoyed nearly 20 years of success. He was known to occasionally find his way to the horse races. In his retirement he loved his daily visits to the health club for his walks and holding court at the Starbuck’s in Lake Forest. To his grandchildren he was their beloved “Poppa” determined to impart his accumulated wisdom to the next generation with his constant reminder to “make a home wherever you go”.
John is survived by his wife Armina and their four children, Stephanie Kearney and her husband Brian, Jacqueline Kazarian and her husband Peter Cunningham, Gregory Kazarian and his wife Kim and Stacey Lareau and her husband Jim. He was preceded in death by his son John, Jr. He is also survived by his 9 grandchildren, Kevin Kearney and his wife Elizabeth, Briana Kearney, Sima Cunningham, Liam Cunningham, John T. Kazarian, Alexandra Kazarian, Kenneth Kazarian, Samara Lareau and Jackson Lareau and his brother Edward Norman Kazarian of Oswego, New York.