Henry O. Keledjian1944 - 2021
Henry Keledjian was born in 1944 to Hovhaness and Takouhi Keledjian, in Zahle, Lebanon. The youngest of seven children, Henry enjoyed the motherly attention of his older sisters, one of the privileges of being the baby of the family.
Facilitated by the efforts of his older brother, Henry emigrated from Lebanon to the United States as a student on a refugee visa in 1964. After a stint living in Pomona, Henry moved to and settled in Fresno, where he enrolled in what was then known as Pacific College. Henry worked two and three part-time jobs at a time to support himself, and contribute to the support of his elderly parents. Still adjusting to life far from most of his family, Henry would earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Pacific College. While a student at Pacific College, Henry met Arpi Chamichian, and they were married in 1971. Henry would become a beloved son-in-law, and his attentiveness to his in-laws late in their lives served as an example to his children and grandchildren. |
Henry and Arpi’s marriage was blessed with two children, Jason and Jennifer. Henry instilled in his children a love of family, a sense of adventure, and a strong work ethic. He was proud of his children’s educational and professional accomplishments, but he was prouder still of their devotion to their family and their faith, and of the grandchildren that they were raising.
Henry’s sense of adventure was on display when he bought a Winnebago and took his family on two long summer vacations—one cross-country road trip that went as far east as New York and up to Niagara Falls, and another trip to Alaska on the rough ALCAN Highway. Temporarily stranded when an avalanche closed the road and forced a line of vehicles to stay in place for three days, Henry characteristically befriended those in the nearby RVs. He always had a knack for striking up conversations with strangers and showing them kindnesses.
An elementary school teacher for 39 years in Fowler and Fresno, Henry was respected by his peers, and by the students and their families. It was a sign of the respect that the parents at his schools had for him that so many of them requested that their children be assigned to Henry’s classroom. Henry maintained a number of close relationships with his fellow teachers, fostered by periodic lunches and visits—especially with his friends from Jackson Elementary School—that continued until shortly before Henry’s passing.
Henry’s sense of adventure was on display when he bought a Winnebago and took his family on two long summer vacations—one cross-country road trip that went as far east as New York and up to Niagara Falls, and another trip to Alaska on the rough ALCAN Highway. Temporarily stranded when an avalanche closed the road and forced a line of vehicles to stay in place for three days, Henry characteristically befriended those in the nearby RVs. He always had a knack for striking up conversations with strangers and showing them kindnesses.
An elementary school teacher for 39 years in Fowler and Fresno, Henry was respected by his peers, and by the students and their families. It was a sign of the respect that the parents at his schools had for him that so many of them requested that their children be assigned to Henry’s classroom. Henry maintained a number of close relationships with his fellow teachers, fostered by periodic lunches and visits—especially with his friends from Jackson Elementary School—that continued until shortly before Henry’s passing.