Julia Ashekian

Julia G. Ashekian, 79, of Kensington, passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, May 15, 2014 surrounded by her family. She was the wife of Clement Ashekian. Born in New Britain, she was the daughter of the late Ohannes and Satenig (Krikorian) Garabedian. She was a former New Britain resident before moving to Berlin in 1960. Julia devoted much of her life to her church and to the Armenian people, with special attention given to the children of Armenia. At St. George Armenian Church in Hartford, she served as organist for 55 years, and also as the Chairman of the Woman's Guild. She would then go on to represent the Woman's Guild nationally, as a member of the Guild's Central Council, Representative of the Ecclesiastic Council of the Armenian for the election of head of all Armenians, member of the National Council of Churches, and was awarded The St. Nerses Metal for persons who excels with aid to the Armenian people and church. The Armenia earthquake of 1988 left in its wake, thousands of Armenian orphans. Julia, along with her husband Clem, established CASP.Children of Armenia Sponsorship program. With the help of individual donations, CASP aided 7 orphanages in Armenia which went on to care for several thousand children. Julia quickly realized that once leaving the orphanages, these, now, young adults, would be at risk in the world. So, following in the success of the CASP program, Julia then went on to be co-founder of Mer Doon.Our Home. Mer Doon serves as a home for young adults who have outgrown the orphanages. There, in a family setting, they receive caring and an education so that they may lead productive, successful lives. Mer Doon continues to thrive and show tremendous growth with each passing year. For her work, and for positively changing the lives of many thousands of Armenian children, Julia was chosen in 2001 by the Armenian Diocese as the Armenian Church Member of the Year, and was also honored with the Haig Garabed Sarafian Award by the Armenian Students Association of America, in 2004. Surviving are her husband, Clement "Clem" Ashekian; a son, Stephen J. Ashekian and his wife Nol; a daughter, Caryn LaPointe and her husband Michael; a brother Haige Garabedian; a sister, Hayastan Garoyan; and three grandchildren, Nicole, Alexander, and Andrew. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday at 11:00 AM at St. George Armenian Church. Burial will be in Fairview Cemetery, New Britain. Calling hours are Monday from 5-8 PM at St. George Armenian Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. George Armenian Church, 22 White St., Hartford, CT 06114 or to Our Home - Mer Doon Inc., 84 Ellsworth Blvd, Berlin, CT 06037. Erickson-Hansen Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.