With the deepest sorrow and regret, the Eastern Diocese mourns the loss of Nubar Kupelian: a pioneering figure on the staff of the Diocesan Center from 1970 to 2020, who was the assistant and confidant to three Diocesan Primates, before his retirement after 50 years of devoted service. Nubar passed away peacefully on November 29, 2024, following a brief period of illness. He was 91.
Nubar’s roots in the Armenian Church went very deep. A native of Cairo, he was educated at the seminary of the See of Cilicia, where he was a student of the great Catholicos Karekin Hovsepian—among other historic intellectual figures of our church. He was also a classmate of many worthy clergymen-in-training, including the future Archbishop Yeghishe Gizirian and Catholicos Karekin I Sarkissian—not to mention the young Fr. Mampre Kouzouian, Fr. Carnig Hallajian, and others.
Settling in America, he joined the staff of the fledgling Diocesan Center in 1970, becoming a trusted advisor and friend to Archbishop (later Patriarch) Torkom Manoogian, and a disciple of Jack Antreassian, the center’s unparalleled first director. Together, they were all men of quality and talent, who saw in the still-young Diocesan Center and Cathedral as a call to duty, to realize its promise for the entire community and its future generations.
In his five decades of service, Nubar was the ever-reliable administrative assistant to three Primates—Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, and Bishop Daniel Findikyan—as well as a friend and inspiration to his fellow staffers.
More importantly, Nubar became the heart and soul of the Diocesan Center: an inspiration to all who would devote their time and creativity to God and His church; a mentor to his co-workers; and an example of the fine, humane, patriotic qualities that have been the most noble expression of Armenian civilization.
By the order of Catholicos Vasken I, Nubar was awarded the St. Nersess Shnorhali Medal in 1991. It was one of the first such presentations made by Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, early in his primacy. In November of 2023, Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan again presented Pontifical awards to Nubar and his beloved wife of 65 years, Anahid, conferred at the order of His Holiness Karekin II. Earlier, in 2022, Bishop Daniel Findikyan led the entire Diocesan Assembly in congratulating Nubar on the 50th year of his service to the Eastern Diocese.
Nubar himself would stand as a model of the kind of virtues these distinctions are meant to honor. Indeed, his 50-year presence at the Diocesan headquarters was an enduring grace upon the entire Armenian Church. He was a devout Christian, an Armenian patriot, a man of quality to whom all of his colleagues look up. Those lucky enough to share these days with him emerged as better Christians, and better Armenians. Such figures give life to our institutions, shape our history, and project our finest qualities as a people to the surrounding world.
The family has prepared a formal account of the life of our beloved friend and respected colleague, which is appended below.
Funeral arrangements for Nubar Kupelian are as follows:
Visiting hours will take place on Thursday evening, December 5, at Holy Martyrs Armenian Church (209-15 Horace Harding Expressway, Oakland Gardens, NY), from, 7 to 9 p.m., with the dahn gark service at 8 p.m.
The funeral service will take place at Holy Martyrs Armenian Church on Friday morning, December 6, at 10 a.m. Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan will preside and deliver a eulogy.
The family has asked that memorial donations be made to the St. Vartan Cathedral Restoration Project, or to Holy Martyrs Armenian Church.
In the meantime, our deepest sympathies and prayers go to Nubar’s dear wife Anahid, and to his many loved ones, friends, and colleagues. May God rest Nubar’s precious soul, and may He grant consolation to his loved ones in the days ahead.
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Nubar Kupelian (1933-2024)
Nubar Kupelian was born in Egypt on November 1, 1933, to Armenian Genocide survivors Megerditch and Araxi. He was one of three children, with an older sister Anahid and a younger brother Berj, both of whom predeceased him.
At 16 years of age, Nubar attended the Antelias Gemaran in Beirut, Lebanon, where he spent five years studying Armenian history, language, and religion. There, he met and formed life-long friendships with numerous fellow students who would go on to serve the Armenian Church as bishops, vartabeds, and priests.
Nubar returned to Egypt to take up a teaching position at the Nubarian Armenian School in Helipolis, where he taught middle-school and high-school students for more than 18 years. At the Nubarian school he met his future wife Anahid, who was a Kindergarten teacher at the time. He often told his family heartfelt stories about his wonderful students, many of whom he kept in touch with over the years.
Nubar and Anahid were married on May 31, 1959, at the Armenian Church of Egypt, surrounded by their families and their students. In 1970, they immigrated to the United States, and settled into their home in Woodside, New York.
Soon after his arrival to the U.S., Nubar obtained a position at St. Vartan Cathedral in New York City, as the Assistant to Diocesan Primate Archbishop Torkom Manoogian—a role in which he served faithfully until Archbishop Torkom’s departure for Jerusalem, to serve as the 96th Armenian Patriarch of the Holy City. He went on to serve under two further Diocesan Primates: Archbishop Khajag Barsamian for 28 years, and Bishop Daniel Findikyan for two years, before retiring in 2020 at age 87—after having served the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America for more than 50 years.
Throughout that time, Nubar was a leader, inspiration, and beloved friend to his colleagues on the Diocesan staff. Additionally, for 25 years, he served as parish council chairman of the Armenian Church of Sunnyside, NY, led by the late Fr. Mamigon Vosganian.
During his lifetime, he garnered several recognitions and honors for his devotion to the Armenian Church and community, including the St. Nersess Shnorhali medal on two occasions: in 1991 presented by Archbishop Khajag Barsamian by the order of Catholicos Vasken I, and in 2023 presented by Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan by the order of Catholicos Karekin II.
Nubar was loved and respected by everyone who knew him. He was a published author and revered translator in the Armenian Church community. He had an incredible sense of humor and was known for telling jokes and making people laugh. He was patient, kind, humble, and a man of great integrity. Above all, he was a devoted husband, the patriarch of the family, and someone everyone respected and adored.
Nubar is survived by his beloved wife of 65 years, Anahid Kupelian, his niece Lillian Kupelian of Montreal, as well as his nephews and nieces Dicran Haroutiounian, Hilda Semerdjian, Maida Garabedian, Dr. George Haroutiounian, and their families.