Peter Bedros Tashjian

Peter Bedros Tashjian was born on October 21, 1921, in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the first child of Karekin and Vartanoush Tashjian, who emigrated from Kharpert and Erzinga (Turkey), respectively; Karekin arrived in Boston in 1901, while Vartanoush, who was a Genocide survivor and whose father, mother, and an older brother perished at the hands of the Turks, arrived in Boston in 1917.

From birth, Peter was stricken with autism, a medical/health condition which was hardly known back then. There was a lot of ignorance and misinformation about autism in general. The concept of autism awareness was almost non-existent; rather, they used the term, mentally retarded. Physically, everything seemed fine with Peter; he was healthy and strong as a toddler, crawling, and then walking within normal timelines. In terms of his mental and emotional development, however, he was slow in progressing. Peter wasn’t able to reason or show the kind of curiosity that normal, healthy little kids typically display. Academically, he was not able to progress past the 6th grade, as he was held back twice and eventually taken out of school. Hence, both Peter and his parents were faced with tremendous challenges in coping with his illness.

His autism condition notwithstanding, Peter lived a remarkable life, nonetheless. He experienced and persevered through major life changes and moves. In January 1949, at the age of 27, Peter’s family – mom and dad, along with younger brother Deran (17) – left their comfortable life behind in Boston (Watertown) and moved to Soviet Armenia. They were part of the 2nd and final caravan out of a total of approximately 300 Armenian-Americans from all across the U.S., who joined the repatriation movement after World War II. It was an enormous sacrifice driven primarily by the mother’s (Vartanoush) strong patriotic and nationalistic feelings to return to their ancestral homeland and help rebuild the war-torn nation.

As one can imagine, it was an extremely difficult transition for all the repatriates – especially the ones from the U.S. – to adjust to living in a Communist country, particularly during the early years when it was run by the ruthless dictator, Joseph Stalin. They were living amongst constant fear and uncertainty of the harsh Soviet regime. Yet, in his autistic state Peter rolled with the punches and joined the workforce (as a laborer) for the first time in his life. He worked tirelessly for 25 years, making a significant contribution to the Tashjian family.

In 1975, Peter and the rest of the Tashjian family (now expanded to 7 people) returned to the U.S., back to his native city of Boston. Four years later in 1979 – following the passing of both his father and mother – under the care of his brother Deran and Deran’s wife Zovig, along with his niece Narine and nephew Armen, Peter moved with the family to Los Angeles, California. Resident of Pasadena (CA) for the next 41 years, Peter lived a very happy and content life, always surrounded by family and friends. He passed away peacefully on December 3, 2020 at the age of 99, in Pasadena.

True, at 99+ years, Peter lived a long life – considerably more than the

vast majority of people typically live. However, his family always considered

age/number of years to be irrelevant with Peter. Due to his autism

condition, Peter was inherently an overgrown child who was totally dependent

on them. Yet, his family felt absolutely blessed to have Peter part of their lives for such a long time, as a kind-hearted brother, brother-in-law, uncle, great uncle,

and dear friend.

Peter was the most innocent, harmless and kindest person you would ever find

... a loving, gentle soul that would not even hurt a fly. The eternal

optimist that he was, Peter always and only sought the good and the positive

in people ... and in everything else for that matter. What a beautiful,

wonderful mentality, attitude and mindset to have ... wisdom that we can all

learn from and take to heart.

Moreover, how many full grown adults do you know who believe in Santa Claus

(not a joke -- see attached pic), like to play with jackstones and electric

trains, and eat Cracker Jack?! Peter never lost that childlike innocence,

further endearing himself to everyone he came into contact with. He had a

profound effect on all his family and friends, and will be dearly missed. He was a true saint, an angel, who loved Jesus, and is now joining the other dancing and

singing angels in Heaven. May God bless his soul.

In lieu of flowers the family has requested donation to be made to:

PROJECT SAVE

Armenian Photograph Archives Inc.

P.O. Box 236

Watertown, MA 02471