Jeremiah Oscar Yakoobian was born on May 4, 1937, in Lynn, Massachusetts, to Rose(Kapasousian) and Joseph Yakoobian, survivors of the Armenian Genocide who instilled in him a deep sense of resilience, pride in their heritage, and devotion to family. He passed away leaving behind a legacy of love, service, and quiet strength.
Jerry spent most of his life in Lynn and Danvers, Massachusetts. He graduated from Lynn English High School and proudly served in the United States Air Force enjoying time in Colorado. He was a bartender, a butcher, and later built a long career as a draftsman at General Electric in Lynn. A union member, he worked on numerous top-secret projects especially towards the end of the Cold War, earning respect for his precision, integrity, and strong work ethic.
Jerry had many interests, including cooking, Boston sports, horse racing, cigars, tennis, penmanship, drawing, and writing poetry. He would be the first to admit that he was not perfect, but he always tried to work hard, do right by others, and leave things better than he found them.
His greatest passion was gardening and he took particular pride in growing tomatoes and pumpkins. He cultivated his own compost long before it was fashionable. His large and longstanding garden was a great source of peace, patience, and joy. It was where he felt most at home, and where his care, perseverance, and belief in steady effort were most clearly on display.
He was the beloved husband of Janet (Cunningham) Yakoobian and a devoted father to his sons, Vincent and Andrew. He was especially proud of his grandchildren, Nick, Lexi, Isaac, Will, and Emily, who were incredibly important to him and brought him immense joy.
Jeremiah was predeceased by his siblings Nazareth Ghazarosian, who died while serving the United States in World War II, George Ghazarosian, and Louise Yakoobian. He is survived by his brother Gregory Yakoobian of El Paso, Texas, as well as many cherished cousins, in-laws, nieces, and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that sympathizers and well-wishers plant something in their own gardens in his memory or donate in Jeremiah’s honor to the Armenia Fund (www.armeniafund.org).
Jeremiah Oscar Yakoobian will be remembered for his service to his country, his humility, his creativity, his devotion to family, and the love he fostered – in both people and the soil he so carefully tended.