With deep regret, the Eastern Diocese mourns the loss of Dirahayr John Kaishian, father of the Rev. Fr. Sahak Kaishian, who passed away at home on May 14, surrounded by his family.
A native of Milwaukee, WI, John Kaishian was a pious gentleman, deeply patriotic, and a devoted servant of Christ and our church. Mr. Kaishian was godfather of St. John the Baptist Church, a generous supporter of our parishes and Diocese, and the founder of one of our most beloved programs, Hye Camp. Together with his dear wife, Diramayr Lynn, he has been a beloved member of our church family, whose life of faith and service also inspired his son Michael to enter the holy priesthood, as Fr. Sahak.
At our recent Diocesan Assembly in Milwaukee, we had the distinct honor of recognizing Mr. Kaishian as one of this year’s “Armenian Church Members of the Year.” It was a small expression of our deep gratitude for his lifelong devotion to the Armenian Church.
Today our hearts go out to Diramayr Lynn, Der Sahak, and the large extended Kaishian family. Please keep them all in your prayers during this time.
Funeral arrangements will be as follows:
Visiting hours will be held at St. John the Baptist Armenian Church (7825 West Layton Ave., Greenfield, WI) on Wednesday, May 20, from 4 to 7 p.m., with the wake service (dahn gark) beginning at 7 p.m.
The funeral service for John Kaishian will be held at St. John the Baptist Church on Thursday, May 21. It will be preceded by additional visiting hours from 9 to 10 a.m., with the funeral itself beginning at 11 a.m. Burial will follow at Wisconsin Memorial Park Cemetery.
Clergy who would like to take part in the service should contact the parish pastor, Fr. Guregh Hambardzumyan.
The Kaishian family has requested that in-lieu-of-flowers donations be made to St. John the Baptist Church.
Scroll down to read the lovely tribute the family has written about John’s impressive life.
May our risen Lord receive His servant John Kaishian into His heavenly kingdom, grant him eternal rest, and comfort his family with the hope of the Resurrection. Աստուած հոգին լուսաւորէ։
Prayerfully,
Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan
Primate
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In Memoriam: John Kaishian (1934-2026)
John Kaishian was born February 17, 1934. His father, Yeghia, came to America from the village of Tomarza, Anatolia, in 1911 and worked at the Allis Chalmers factory in West Allis, Wisconsin. His mother, Armenouhi was a survivor of the Great Genocide of 1915. John was the youngest of eight children and the second of a pair of twins. He came into this world as a surprise and has been surprising people ever since.
John grew up in difficult times, being the youngest child in a large immigrant family during the Great Depression and World War II. He had congenital disfigurements that required numerous surgeries during his childhood years. He was also deaf in one ear and plagued with constant ear infections. From his early years he learned at a young age to turn challenges into opportunities. This was an attribute he would carry with him throughout his life.
John attended public schools in West Allis. After his junior year John transferred from Juneau High School to Hartland High School where he lived on his own in a log cabin and worked on a horse farm to support himself. John took additional classes at a business school not to find a job himself, but in order to find out what kind of employees he should hire.
John began his life as an entrepreneur at the age of six when he went throughout the neighborhood, selling ears of corn that his father grew in their yard. Later, he became a paperboy, delivering newspapers to as many as five paper routes at a time. In his early teens he became a bicycle mechanic and was proud that he was able to supply parts to adults who rode bicycles to work. John transitioned into becoming an auto mechanic and built his own race car. He achieved the track record for the fastest single lap at several area speedways at the age of 15, before he had a valid driver’s license.
John stayed involved in the racing world and began promoting races at Hales Corners Speedway in 1951. He purchased the track a few years later and became the longest single owner of a speedway in America. He also promoted races at Cedarburg Speedway, Waukegan Speedway Franksville Speedway and at the “Milwaukee Mile” at the Wisconsin State Fair Park. John was the president of Wisconsin Auto Racing Inc. and was inducted into the United States Auto Club (USAC) hall of fame.
John established the Midwest Bleachers company and built stadium style bleachers throughout the Midwest and beyond, to more than 20 states, from New Hampshire to Florida to Arizona to South Dakota.
In the winter months, John took up downhill skiing. He enjoyed skiing at the local hills in southeast Wisconsin as well as in the mountains of Vermont, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. He became such an enthusiast that he decided to build a ski area practically at his front door in Greendale, Wisconsin. He had the ability to see an area of unused park land and an abandoned landfill and envision a recreation area for the youth that would include a full-fledged ski area and premier sports fields. John brought that vision to reality by bringing in more than four million cubic yards of clean fill and personally operating the bulldozer to sculpt the hill and landscape.
He transformed the area into what is now the Crystal Ridge Ski Area and the Rock Sports and Entertainment Complex. John enjoyed teaching hundreds of children, youth and adults to ski at his own hill.
John was proud of his rich Armenian cultural heritage and religious background. He was a solid member of the Knights of Vartan and served as a former commander of the Cilicia Lodge. He was a proud supporter of the Yerevan Dancers of Wisconsin which was directed by his wife Lynn. John was a lifelong member of St. John Armenian Church. He was an active member of the church choir. He regularly supported and participated in church functions and activities. There were many church dinners where he would personally season and charcoal broil the steaks or shish kebab.
He generously donated for the needs of the church. He provided a tent for the church picnic/food festival as well as numerous pieces of professional quality kitchen equipment. He donated the church hall in memory of his father, Yeghia and the two stained glass windows that illuminate the sanctuary altar. For about 30 years John and Lynn also shared their 50 acre lake property in Elkhorn , Wisconsin to provide a location for the Midwest Regional Hye Camp to be held each year. John and Lynn were recognized for their generosity with a Hye Camp Gratitude Award in 2013, the St. Nersess Pontifical Shield in 2014, and John was recognized as Armenian Church Member of the Year in 2026.
Among his many accomplishments, John was especially proud of his family. He loved to share stories about his parents, siblings and cousins as well as stories about growing up in the “Old Neighborhood,” his work accomplishments and life experiences. John was a loving husband to Lynn, his wife of 67 years. He was a devoted father to five children. He demonstrated and instilled a strong sense of family loyalty. His philosophy was that friends can come and go, but family is forever. John is survived by his wife Lynn, daughter Kathleen, son Fr. Sahak (Michael), daughter in law Lana, son James, grandchildren Jacob, Michael Andrew and Max, twin sister Jennie Boranaian, several brothers and sisters in law, cousins and numerous nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, Yeghia and Armenouhi, sisters Zabel and Shakey and brothers Garabed, Johnnie, Michael and Mesrope, sons Peter and Kenneth and daughter in law Tammy.
John genuinely liked people. He had an engaging smile. He was well respected and just about everyone who met him considered him to be a good friend. He had a positive impact on the many lives he touched. He made his mark in the world and the world is a better place because of his presence in it. John entered into eternal life on May 14, 2026. He will be well remembered, loved and missed for a long time to come.