NAOMI ARMEN HONORED AS MOTHER OF THE YEAR AT ANRC
By Lalig J. Musserian
Tue, May 24 2011
JAMAICA PLAIN, Mass.-Every year, the Armenian Nursing and
Rehabilitation Center (ANRC) in Jamaica Plain celebrates Mother’s
Day with a special luncheon honoring a “Mother of the Year.” On May
7, Naomi Armen was the recipient of this honor, surrounded by her
loving family and many friends. Very Rev. Father Dajad Davidian,
pastor emeritus of the St. James Armenian Apostolic Church, was the
special guest speaker.
Naomi Armen with her daughters Carol Theoharous (L) and Vera Armen.
The afternoon began with the luncheon in honor of Naomi, followed by
remarks by Siran Salibian, activities director. Vera Armen, Naomi’s
daughter, spoke about her mother’s childhood and escape from the
Armenian Genocide. Vera also spoke about her mother’s dedication and
commitment to the St. James Armenian Church for almost 50 years,
where Naomi worked tirelessly with the St. James Senior Ladies
Auxiliary Committee. Along with cooking and planning scores of
bazaars, dinners, and functions, the committee was instrumental in
producing plays which Naomi translated, staged, costumed, and often
took a starring role in (usually as a man since the gentlemen were
always shy or not available, and the show had to go on!) Vera spoke
passionately about her mother’s guiding hand in her family’s life,
her positive attitude, and how she inspired kindness in anyone she met.
Naomi’s story is a story of survival against all odds. She was born
in 1910 in Marzivan, (now called Phazemon), in northern Turkey. She
was just five years old when the Armenian Genocide began. Along with
her aunt, and her brother, she started the forced deportation and
march into the Der Zor desert, where she was separated from the rest
of her family and taken as a household servant in a Turkish family in
a nearby village. There she lived with her “Turkish Dad” and his two
wives, one wife Turkish, the other Armenian. As part of her household
duties, Naomi was sent to the well in the village to fetch water for
her Turkish family. One morning, she went to the well as usual, and
in a stroke of fate, she ran into her brother, who was also fetching
water. Apparently, he had been taken in by a Turkish family as well.
It was almost a miracle that they were both at the well at the
same time.
Some time later, when World War I ended, the Turks were instructed to
return Armenian children to the city of Sebastopol. From there Naomi
and her brother were sent to a local orphanage, both aware that they
had a father somewhere out there, praying that he was alive and very
desperate to find him. One day, Naomi was in the orphanage playing
with her doll in the courtyard. There was a girl’s school next door,
and a young lady there saw and recognized Naomi. She told Naomi that
her father was looking for her. Within a short time, brother and
sister were reunited with their father. What a blessed reunion!
Naomi and her brother moved to Hamburg, Germany with their father
and tried to pick up the pieces of their broken lives. Naomi was then
sent to a boarding school in Bulgaria, where she learned and mastered
no less than seven languages fluently. She and her family eventually
journeyed to the United States when she was 20 years old.
Father Davidian spoke of Naomi’s love and passion for her church,
and her unwavering loyalty to her friends and family. He spoke about
Naomi’s presence at his Ordination in 1960, in Worcester. Naomi was a
close friend of Yn. Rosemary Davidian of blessed memory, whose mother
was also from Bulgaria . Father Davidian thanked Naomi and told her
how proud St. James was to call her a parishioner and a “daughter”
of the church. He spoke emotionally about his own mother, and blessed
all the mothers for the sacrifices they make for their children.
Mary Galstyan, a 5th grade student at the St. Stephen’s Armenian
Elementary School in Watertown, charmed the audience with two
heartwarming recitations in honor of Naomi.
The last speaker was Naomi herself. As she stood up from her seat, the
room fell absolutely silent in anticipation of her remarks. Tearfully,
Naomi spoke with her soft voice about the honor she felt to be named
Mother of the Year. She thanked God and her daughters, and she thanked
Father Davidian for his friendship for over half a century. “Whatever
I did was for you, Der Hayr,” she said, her voice shaking with
emotion. “My years of service were for you and my church, and I am
proud to be Armenian,” she concluded.
A cake-cutting ceremony and reception, organized specially for Naomi
by the staff of the ANRC, brought the afternoon to a close.
The Armenian Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is an 83-bed nursing
and rehabilitation facility located a few miles outside Watertown,
Belmont, and the surrounding communities. Consistently ranked as a
top notch nursing facility, and following an extensive review, the
ANRC was recently declared to be 100 percent in compliance with over
180 federal and state regulations by the Massachusetts Department of
Public Health. An exceptional “home away for home” for Armenian elders,
the ANRC tends to the emotional, spiritual, and physical wellbeing of
its residents, and does indeed excel its promise of “Quality of Care,
Peace of Mind.” For more information, visit