John Armen Mehagian

John Mehagian, native Phoenician, proud Armenian, tireless tinkerer, dad-joke pioneer, master shish-kebab griller, animal lover and unapologetically nostalgic, big-hearted father and husband died on August 8th, surrounded by his family.

Born to immigrant parents who settled in the Valley when its populace wouldn’t have filled Chase Field, John’s boyhood was, by his remembering, Rockwellian. His home base was an East Moreland Street house that stood in what are now the Eastbound lanes of the 10 Freeway. And from the seat of his bike, he traversed and explored every corner of the growing town.

As an adolescent, he managed a fair bit of mischief. Waterski on the canal? He did it. Setting a bonfire atop Piestewa Peak? Check. Racing his ‘55 Chevy down Central Avenue? Impossible to verify but highly likely.

A graduate of Emerson Elementary School and North High School, John studied animal husbandry at the University of Arizona. But he eventually put aside his farming and ranching dreams to enter the family business, after a stretch in business school at The University of Colorado.

For over three decades he led Mehagian’s TV & Stereo, furnishing electronics to generations of Phoenicians drawn by the company’s reputation for great service and integrity.

In 1963, he married Marjorie Elmslie, a Canadian nurse who’d come to Phoenix to help launch Barrow Neurological Institute. Five kids came in quick succession.

An affectionate and hands-on father, he spent countless hours playing London Bridge, tossing balls of every kind, traipsing to the batting cages, trailering horses to and from horse shows, water skiing at Saguaro Lake, grilling steaks, pushing his kids on the cabin rope swing, observing hockey practices and exploring the Arizona backcountry as an assistant Scout Master.

His abundant love for his children meant that even their modest accomplishments became triumphs in his eyes. And as his kids (and grandkids) grew older, he dulled more than his share of scissors clipping newspaper articles that turned up in their mailboxes. Bulbous envelopes, addressed in his precise block printing; reminders that those he loved were never far from his thoughts.

He was active in the 20/30 Club of Arizona and, for nearly half a century, a proud member of Phoenix Rotary 100. In retirement, he regularly volunteered with St. Vincent De Paul.

Throughout his life, he celebrated his Armenian identity. Through food and photographs and storytelling, he ensured his children and grandchildren understood and appreciated the history of their family and people. He took great pride in the achievements of someone he never met – his maternal grandfather, Armenag Haigazian. Haigazian was an academic and theologian who took his Yale education back to Turkey where he led a missionary college. In keeping alive his grandfather’s memory, John was following in the footsteps of his own parents who co-founded a Beirut university that bears Haigazian’s name.

John’s Central Avenue family “homestead” made clear that he’d never fully abandoned his farming and ranching dreams. One horse grew into a stable full, followed by a tack room and the trailers and equipment needed to care for and convey them. And even the most cursory review of the property confirmed his status as a mechanical savant. His handiwork was everywhere: Plumbing, electrical work, fencing and carpentry all lived within his bag of tricks.

He adored animals, finding in them the kind of pure spirit he himself embodied. The family’s line up of pets always included dogs, and lots of them. Most notably the award-winning Vizslas bred and raised by Marge. But at times, the menagerie grew to encompass cats, turtles, a racoon, the aforementioned horses and a 10-year old Gambel quail named Quentin. First among equals was his Golden Retriever, Maggie who helped fill the void left as, one-by-one, his kids departed for college.

Though social, John enjoyed his own company and, if missing, could usually be found in his workshop. No one claimed it was tidy but everything had its place. And he moved through it purposefully to the strains of vintage country tunes that an old-time radio miraculously pulled in from stations in Payson or Prescott.

John was happiest at the family cabin, tucked on a wooded hillside in Mormon Lake. He had a shop there too (newer radio, same stations) and together with fellow cabin owners, kept a rickety water pump working well beyond its expected life. The cabin saw its greatest use in summer, but also hosted several Thanksgivings. And one memorable Christmas where the kids scurried indoors to warm themselves by the fire while he pulled a toboggan piled with presents through a quarter mile of waist-high snow.

If he had a vice it was food. His tastes unfancy, his appetite immodest. In Mexican restaurants, he commandeered his own bowl of salsa. Extra salad dressing was requested before the salad itself arrived. Two patties were better than one. A bagel was a cream cheese delivery vehicle.

We’ll remember him in Levis and a tattered white t-shirt, work boots and a bucket hat (later in life, Tevas and cargo shorts with suspenders), mending a fence, setting fly traps, threading a sprinkler pipe or just sitting in the twilight engaged in a never ending game of fetch. Content to be alone but always grateful for company.

He was modest, stubborn, curious, enthusiastic, excitable, supportive and occasionally pessimistic. And utterly without pretense. His tall, broad stature belied his gentle nature. He was kind and loving, and he did the right thing. He was a doting dad and a deeply devoted husband to the last. We’ll miss him terribly.

He leaves behind his wife Marjorie, children Laurie Mehagian, Doug Mehagian (Asma Samadani), Diane Mehagian (Zack Phillips), Stephanie Brugger (Tim) and Mary Kumble (Roger), and nine grandchildren: Dahlia and Lucine Mehagian; Benjamin Altes; James, TJ and Mary Brugger; and Grace, Beatrice and Charlie Kumble. His beloved older brother, Arthur Mehagian, preceded him in death.

The family would like to thank his many kind and compassionate caregivers from The Ridges at Peoria Senior Living, Mayo Clinic Hospital Phoenix and Sherman House, Hospice of the Valley.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in John’s name (via the link below) to Haigazian University, the Beirut-based educational institution co-founded by his parents.

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