GLENDALE, Calif. — The veteran executive director of the of the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) passed away on Friday, August 9, in Glendale. He was 80.
The Board of Directors of the AMAA issued an announcement conveying the sad news.
“The AMAA mourns the passing of its executive director/CEO Zaven Khanjian, who served the organization in this position for 10 years with utmost care and dedication. In fact, his entire life was an example of service to his church, community, and the entire Armenian nation in our homeland of Armenia and in the diaspora,” said Dr. Nazareth Darakjian, president of the AMAA Board of Directors.
“He was a true leader, very much loved by the staff, Board members, and supporters of the organization. He was a man of vision, a great communicator, a multitalented writer and speaker. He was a kind person, a family man, and his many grandchildren were the light of his life. Above all, he was a man of unshakable faith and a true soldier of Christ. Mr. Khanjian’s passing is a great loss for the AMAA, the Armenian Evangelical Church, the Armenian nation, and all of humanity. May the Holy Spirit console his family and friends and may the Lord bless his memory until the end of time,” he added.
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 July 31, 1944, and raised in Aleppo, Syria, he was one of five children of Armenian Genocide survivors Vasken and Verjin Khanjian. 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, Zaven 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.
Khanjian 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.
Over the years, 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.
He contributed volumes of bilingual articles to American Armenia media and was the author of three Armenian books: Ays dune Kuget e Te Ims? [Is This Your House or Mine?]; Srdi yev Mdki Tsolker [Reflections of the Mind and Soul]; and Haleb Arachin Gayaran [Memoirs of a Memorable Childhood].
Khanjian was the recipient of numerous awards, including the Medal of Gratitude from President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on May 28, 2017, in Armenia 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 was a member of the United Armenian Congregational Church in Los Angeles.
Khanjian 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 Mariette Asdghig Khanjian. He was predeceased by his sister Anahid Terjimanian in April 2024.
