STEPHEN SELVERIAN (June 22, 1939 – October 22, 2025)
His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan, Prelate, and the Religious and Executive Councils of the Eastern Prelacy have learned with sorrow of the passing of Stephen (Steve) Richard Selverian. He passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on October 22. Born on June 22, 1939, he was the oldest of three children of Richard Diran Selverian, an Armenian Genocide survivor, and Zarouhi (Sarah) Najarian, in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He grew up surrounded by a close-knit New England family, especially his paternal grandmother, Lucia. He was an acolyte at Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Church.
He moved to Pennsylvania with his family in 1954 as a high-school junior and attended Marple Newtown High School. He earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Finance and Education at the University of Virginia. He married Sandra Yeran Kurkian in August 1961, beginning a life together that lasted 64 years. They had seven children, twenty-three grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
Steve Selverian valued nothing as much as family, instilling in them a love of Armenian heritage, faith in God, hard work, and community participation. He was both a board member and a National Representative Assembly delegate for St. Gregory the Illuminator Church of Philadelphia. He led many projects, most recently chairing the fundraising committee for Founders Hall at the church. He was honored with the Eagle of the Eastern Prelacy award.
He was a successful businessman, starting his career at the dawn of the computer age in the early 1960s and becoming president of one of the first data-processing companies. His love of systems evolved into banking, and later he became the President of Fidelity Mutual Savings and Loan. He did this while owning and running several other businesses, including two liquor stores in New Jersey with his brother and father for more than 35 years.
He was a true believer in civic responsibility and served his local Merchantville, NJ, community, where he lived for nearly 60 years. He was a Zoning Board member for more than 55 years, including Chairman; President of the School Board; election-poll worker; and served on many committees that shaped the character of the community. Steve and Sandra were the first parents inducted into the Pennsauken High School Athletic Hall of Fame for their two decades of service to the football, field hockey, and softball teams.
Steve is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Sandra; sons Richard (Melissa), Jeffrey, Mark (Laura), Gregory (Debra), Arthur (Tania), Kurk (Rita), and daughter Lucinda (Thomas) Stamboulian; grandchildren Katrina (Ara Kailian) Selverian, Stephen (Kimberly), Sara, Jennifer (Ramsey) Walker, Michael (Amanda), David, Christopher, Max (Alison), Emily, Jessica, Matthew, Victoria, Alyssa, Jacob, Rebecca, Charles, Samuel, Mark, Valerie, Nicholas, Lucy, Stephen, and Anna; great-grandchildren Cameron, Raffi, Madeline, Sloane, Sona, and Michael; his brother Arden (Barbara), sister Alice (Richard) Shakarjian, his brother-in-law Walter Daniel Kurkian, and many nieces and nephews.
The viewing and funeral service were held at St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in Philadelphia on Wednesday, October 29, presided by His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan, Prelate, and followed by interment in Lakeview Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the church.
Աստուած հոգին լուսաւորէ: May God illuminate his soul.