Ned (Nazar) Michael Azarian

Ned (Nazar) Michael Azarian, husband, father, grandfather, brother, friend, historian, teacher, vocalist, airport chauffer, voracious reader, dog-sitter, trivia master, and chocolate lover died October 30, 2019 at the age of 72. Ned was a larger than life presence. He was always the life of the party with his booming voice and entertaining stories. One was never bored around Ned! He could talk to anyone about anything and could keep a conversation going for hours!

Ned loved to travel and as a history and geography buff, loved to visit places and see sights that he read about. If you spoke with him after a trip, you were sure to get a complete history lesson of the locations he had visited! He was also very proud of his Armenian heritage and could tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the history and culture of the tiny county nestled in southwestern Asia.

He was known to roam around his neighborhood on his scooter to chat with all the neighbors, to watch his grandchildren as they played outside, to feed way too many treats to the family pets, to love holiday gatherings and other social events, and to enjoy a cup of coffee and conversation with anyone who visited.

Ned was born on March 13, 1947 in Racine, WI. He graduated from Horlick High School, obtained a Bachelor’s in Education from UW-Oshkosh, and a Master’s degree in Administrative Leadership from UW-Milwaukee. Ned retired as the Dean of Students from Reuther High School in Kenosha, WI and taught at various high schools throughout his career. It was during his first teaching job at the Academy, that he met his wife, Carolyn, also a teacher there. The two were married on December 29, 1973 in Prairie du Chien, WI during a tremendous ice and snow storm as well as a meat and gas shortage.

He is survived by his wife Carolyn, his daughter Andrea, his son Nicholas (Maria) Azarian, his grandchildren Andranik, Alina, and Annalise Azarian, whom he loved more than anything in this world, his grand-dogs Diego and Dikran, his brother David (Mary Kaprelian), his sister Carol Jean (Don) Miller, his aunts Betsy Anderson and Ester Paul, and numerous cousins.

He is preceded in death by his parents Arshag and Lucene Azarian, and his uncle and aunts Sam Azarian, Betty James, Julie Cash, Sophie Stapanian, Lois Kelly, Mary Kalashian, and Helen Emerzian.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, November 3, 2019 at St. Mesrob Armenian Apostolic Church, 4605 Erie Street, from 3:00 to 6:30 p.m. The Funeral Service officiated by Fr. Avedis Kalayjin will be held Monday, November 4th at St. Mesrob Armenian Apostolic Church beginning at 11:00 a.m. with a visitation beforehand to begin at 10:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Mesrob Armenian Apostolic Church or a charity of your choice.

In memory of Arshag Azarian, Ned’s corneas have been donated to the Lions Eye Bank of Wisconsin.

Ned’s family would like to extend a special thank you to the nurses and doctors in the ER and ICU at All Saints Hospital for their unparalleled patience, kindness, and care of Ned and his family during this difficult time.