Mariam "Maro" Bedrosian

Mariam "Maro" Bedrosian, a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, a passionate advocate for Armenian culture and education, and a woman of extraordinary strength and resilience, passed away peacefully at her home in Houston. She was 84 years of age.

Born in Beirut, Lebanon, to Bedros Karaoghlanian and Arousiag Mavilian, Maro displayed an uncommon drive and love of education from an early age. At a time when most girls of her generation stopped schooling after elementary grades, she insisted on continuing through junior high and high school, attending Tarouhi Hagopian High School in Beirut. She continued to blaze trails and break cultural norms when she secured her first job, her first car, her first apartment. She worked for the United Nations and later for the American multinational company Plessey Middle East—positions she earned through her fluency in four languages: Armenian, French, Arabic, and English.

Maro was raised in a loving Armenian family that carried the deep wounds of history. Her father, orphaned during the Armenian Genocide during World War I, later served in the French Foreign Legion during World War II. Her mother's parents were also survivors of the genocide. Despite economic hardship, Maro's childhood was rich with family warmth, spending weekends with her extended family throughout Beirut and the mountains of Lebanon, where she was the oldest of nine cousins.

In 1967, Maro married Sirop Bedrosian in Beirut. Together they built a life that spanned continents, raising their family in Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, and eventually the United States. Sirop, who spent his career with Nalco Chemical, survives her. Maro devoted herself fully to her family: her daughter Isabelle (Hovig) and sons Bedros (Maria) and Haig, and later to her seven beloved grandchildren—William, Carina, Brianna, Alina, Rosie, Clarisse, and Joshua.

Her love of family was fierce, her support unwavering, cheering her children and grandchildren through many milestones and accomplishments.

A woman of remarkable eloquence, particularly in her native Armenian, Maro possessed a natural magnetism that drew people to her. Friends described her as smart, loving, passionate, strong-willed, a natural leader, irreplaceable and a modern Armenian Hero. She believed deeply in unity over divisiveness and worked tirelessly to bring people together. She loved the poetry of Vahan Tekeyan, drawn to the plain yet profound language he used to capture Armenian feelings and identity. Among her favorites were his poems about the beauty of the Armenian language and "Hashvehartar" (Balance Sheet).

Maro's passion for Armenian causes defined much of her adult life. She served as Treasurer of the Tekeyan Cultural Association's central board for over thirty years, a role she held from the 1990s until her passing. She also served on the board of the AGBU Chicago Chapter during the 1990s. While she worked on countless initiatives to support Armenia, her greatest pride was founding the Sponsor A Teacher initiative, a program that raised funds in the Armenian diaspora to support teachers in Armenia financially, ensuring they would remain in the country to educate and inspire the next generation of Armenians. Through this work, Maro invested in the preservation of Armenian heritage, language, and culture for generations to come.

Beyond her dedication to Armenia, Maro had a zest for life. She was fundamentally a very curious person who sought answers to problems through politics and philosophy. She loved to discuss events of the day, to understand their significance and to analyze them in the context of our lives and history. A natural storyteller, she was able to relay these curiosities into a great source of wisdom and advice for her children and others. She was passionate about investing in stocks, having taken classes to educate herself on financial management. She loved the casino, where her skills as a former bridge player translated beautifully to the blackjack table—and she always left a winner. She traveled extensively throughout North America, Europe, and the Middle East. She was also a wonderful cook who believed "the way to the heart was through the stomach."

Maro's strength of mind and will were legendary. Diagnosed at age 50 with colorectal cancer, she fought back three times, surviving two subsequent episodes of metastatic disease against incredible odds. Unbeknownst to her then, she was trailblazing a new path for patients with this disease when she insisted on being treated with surgery rather than the standard approach of chemotherapy. Through multiple illnesses, she defied the odds again and again, with grace and determination and became known as the “miracle patient."

Maro's legacy lives on in her children and grandchildren, in the hundreds of teachers and students whose lives were changed through her Sponsor A Teacher program, and in the countless people in the Armenian community who were touched by her leadership, generosity, and vision. She dedicated her life to ensuring that Armenian culture, language, and heritage would flourish for generations to come.

A celebration of life is to be conducted at eleven o'clock in the morning on Saturday, the 31st of January in the Jasek Chapel of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.

Immediately following all will be invited to greet the family during a reception to be held at a location to be announced at the service.

For those unable to attend, virtual attendance may be obtained by selecting the “Join Livestream” icon in the “Services” section.

In lieu of customary remembrances, donations can be made to the Tekeyan Sponsor a Teacher Program. Checks to Tekeyan Cultural Association Sponsor a Teacher 755 Mt. Auburn Street, Watertown MA 02472 or by simply selecting the online link under "Donations" below.

"What is left in life for me? Only what was given away. Strangely, only that. ...Whatever went to others came back sweeter, stronger, to stay forever at my side. And whatever Love took, God did not lose but returned like incense to perfume my life.” - Vahan Tekeyan