Serop Garabed Kaltakdjian

Serop Garabed Kaltakdjian, born Feb. 28, 1929, to Armenian parents in Damascus, Syria, died at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center after a month-long illness in Baton Rouge on Friday, Dec. 18, 2009. Visitation at St. Garabed Armenian Church, 6208 Florida Blvd., on Sunday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The funeral service will be at St. Garabed Armenian Church on Monday at 11 a.m. He immigrated with his wife, Marie Moutafian, twin sons, Vasken and Shavarsh, son, Johnny, and daughter, Taline, in 1977 and opened Serop's Restaurant on Government Street on Dec. 3, 1979. In addition to the above family members, he is survived by sisters, Antaram Kaltakdjian and Mrs. Boghos (Azad Kaltakdjian) Moutafian, all of Baton Rouge, and Mrs. Sarkis (Luseen Kaltakdjian) Djundourian, of Beirut, Lebanon; brother, Sarkis Kaltakdjian, of Baton Rouge; and 11 grandchildren, Niree Tamar Kaltakdjian, Serop V. Kaltakdjian, Margaret Ann Butler, Lisa Marie Kaltakdjian, Shahe Stephan Kaltakdjian, Alex Michael Kaltakdjian, Kareen Nicole Kaltakdjian, Aleen Sarah Kaltakdjian, Nareg Johnnie Kaltakdjian, Avo Johnnie Marzouwanian and Vicken Garo Marzouwanian; and many loyal patrons. He was preceded in death by his parents, Garabed and Guleniya Kaltakdjian, survivors of the 1915 Armenian genocide; and two brothers, Vartkes Kaltakdjian and Kevork Kaltakjian, who were of Damascus. Even at age 80, he came to work at Serop's Express on Jefferson Highway until the day he fell ill before Thanksgiving.