Aram Christian Abajian Jr.

Aram Christian "Chris" Abajian Jr. passed away on July 28th while hiking in the North Cascades. He slipped on a steep embankment and hit his head. His partner performed CPR on him for at least two hours, though it was later found that he had died almost immediately. All of us who knew and loved him dearly miss him.

His father, Aram Christian Abajian Sr. and his mother, Julie Davidow, precede Chris in death. His surviving family includes two brothers, James “Jamie” Abajian and David “Davie” Abajian and one sister, Julie “Bonnie” Abajian. He is survived by his son Alexander Cassiel Abajian, former wife Barbara Michelle Heisiger and wife Lesa Sullivan.

Chris grew up in New York City, New York. He attended Eaglebrook in Deerfield, MA and Choate in Walligford, CT. He earned a degree in music from Wesleyan University. Chris later moved to Washington state to raise a family and enjoy Washington’s outdoor life. He lived and worked in Seattle as a programmer for the Allen Institute for Brain Science.

Chris was a talented programmer who wrote elegant code. He was a passionate musician who built his own instruments and spent hours transcribing music by ear. He was a world traveler. He was a serious athlete who was recently training for a one-day ride from Seattle to Vancouver, BC. He was an armchair scholar who devoured books on philosophy, music and neuroscience. He was a political gadfly. He loved loud, explosive action films and science fiction/fantasy tales with highly improbable storylines. He told great jokes. He made an excellent omelet. He was a loving and dedicated father to a brilliant teenage son, and a best friend to many very lucky people. Rest in peace, Chris.