His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan, Prelate, and the Religious and Executive Councils of the Eastern Prelacy have learned with sorrow of the passing of Zaven Khanjian, Executive Director and CEO of the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) on August 9, in Glendale, California.
Husband, father, grandfather, author, and advocate of the Armenian culture and heritage both in Armenia and the Diaspora, Zaven peacefully passed away surrounded by his loving family.
Born on July 31, 1944, and raised in Aleppo, Syria, he was one of five children of Armenian Genocide survivors Vasken and Verjin Khanjan. He grew up in the Armenian Evangelical Emmanuel Church and was an active member of its youth group.
Following his graduation from Aleppo College, he attended the American University of Beirut in Lebanon and in 1967 earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Soon after graduation he moved to the Persian Gulf and spent 13 years working in his profession, assuming top positions in prestigious companies while creating “Little Armenias” together with like-minded Armenians in the area.
He married his devoted wife Sona Kelligian in 1973 and together they began their family of two sons and a daughter. In 1979, Mr. Khanjian moved with his family to California and after working for a few years, went into the real estate business, starting his own successful real estate company, Kanjyan Realty, in Glendale in 1987.
He was appointed as Executive Director/CEO of the AMAA on September 1, 2014. During his 10-year tenure, he oversaw many milestones, including the opening of the Khoren and Shooshanig Avedisian School in Yerevan, the commemoration of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide in 2015, a successful AMAA Centennial Capital Campaign, and the AMAA’s 100th Anniversary in 2018. He was a member of the United Armenian Congregational Church in Los Angeles.
Over the years, Zaven Khanjian was an active member of the Greater Los Angeles Community, serving in leadership capacities at the Armenia Fund, The Armenian Evangelical Union of North America, The Merdinian Armenian Evangelical School, The United Armenian Congregational Church, Haigazian University of Beirut, the Glendale Family YMCA, The Salvation Army-Glendale Corps, American for Artsakh, The Armenian-American Real Estate Association and as Chairman of the Syrian Armenian Relief Fund, raising over $1 million dollars.
He contributed scores of bilingual articles to the Armenian American press and was the author of three books in Armenian: Is This Your House or Mine?, Reflections of the Mind and Soul, and Aleppo: First Station.
Zaven Khanjian was the recipient of numerous awards, including the Medal of Gratitude from Serzh Sargsyan, President of the Republic of Armenia, on May 28, 2017, for his contributions toward strengthening Armenia-Diaspora relations and preservation of the Armenian identity. On September 13, 2019, he was awarded the Honorary Member Title from the Writers’ Union of Armenia for his books and articles on Armenia.
He leaves behind his wife Sona; three children Vasken, Hrag, and his wife Michelle, and Vana and her husband Armen Vartanian; five grandsons and one granddaughter; his brother and sisters, Laura Prather, Dicky Dodd and Dikran and Asdghig Khanjian. He was predeceased by his sister Anahid Terjimanian in April 2024.
Archbishop Anoushavan and the greater Prelacy family extend their condolences to Mr. Khanjian’s loved ones and colleagues. May God illuminate his soul. Աստուած հոգին լուսաւորէ։