Helen Azniv Manougian

Helen Azniv Manougian, resident of San Francisco and Peninsula, passed away peacefully at the San Carlos Elms on August 20, 2021.

Helen (nee Orchanian) Manougian, 89, daughter to Nasib and Azniv (nee Ansoorian) Orchanian, Armenian immigrants who escaped the Armenian Genocide were from Marash, Turkey and Nicosia, Cyprus, and whose families settled in North Bergen, New Jersey near aunts, uncles and cousins. Helen’s father died when she was only 7 and was raised by her single mother and doting aunts and uncles.

At age 10, Helen was sent to Southern California by train, escorting her aged maternal grandmother, where her aunts/uncles had been resettling and starting their families and businesses.

Her formative years were growing up in Los Angeles with her sister Aurora “Ora” Aruta and attending LA High School and secretarial school. Helen met her future husband, Paul Manougian of San Francisco, at an Armenian General Benevolent Union event followed by a 9- month courtship between LA and SF. They married in San Francisco as the first wedding in the new St. John Armenian Apostolic Church in the shadow of Twin Peaks. Helen grew up in the Gethsamane Congregational Church, later United Armenian Congregational Church, of Los Angeles. Paul and Helen were married for 55 years until Paul’s passing in 2013. Helen and Paul raised their two children, Gregory and Paula, in San Francisco remaining closely tied to the local Armenian community. Likewise, Helen remained close to her large family in Los Angeles, OH, and NJ including visits for holidays and reunions.

Helen worked for Prudential Insurance in Los Angeles as a secretary. Once in San Francisco and settled in the Sunset, she was dedicated to raising Gregory and Paula and to be at home for them and their varied activities. In the mid-1970s, Helen began working for the public schools as a clerk typist at Francisco Junior High, summers at elementary schools, and CCSF. Still in the civil service system, she worked as executive secretary for the SF War Memorial. Following her retirement, she found joy in working as the coat check attendant at the San Francisco Opera House. This was her final and most satisfying job; she was able to see friends, celebrities, and snippets of the opera and ballet, with the Nutcracker being the most satisfying.

While growing up in LA, she joined Jobs Daughters, a Masonic affiliated organization and Queen of the local chapter. In San Francisco, she was involved with the Armenian church and it’s organizations, AGBU, Knights and Daughters of Vartan, school PTA, Paula’s (and Greg’s brief) ballet career, and true to her spirit, actively participated in local politics working at campaign offices for mayoral and supervisor elections – including the kids!

Helen was predeceased by her husband Paul, parents Nasib and Azniv, sister Ora Aruta and sister-in-law Mary Hogikyan.

Helen leaves behind her son Gregory (Karen) of Rockville, MD and Paula Boghossian (John) of San Carlos, CA, grandchildren Philip (Niki), Alec, Rebecca, and Andrew; loving nieces Mary Aruta, Janice Chamberlain, Helen Bannon, and nephew Vaughn Hovanessian, along with many loving cousins from the Manougian, Kuzirian, Hogrogian, Ansoorian, Najarian and Boyajian families.

Funeral and burial were held on August 25, at Cypress Lawn Cemetery, Colma attended by family and friends.

In lieu of flowers in memory of Helen: St. John Armenian Church, Ladies Society, 275 Olympia Way, SF CA 94131 and/or Daughters of Vartan, Araxi Otyag, 846 Arlington Blvd, El Cerrito, CA 94530.