‹ ‹ Return to Current Obituaries

Cover photo for Roxie Ananian's Obituary

Roxie Ananian

August 21, 1923 — September 15, 2009

Share

Send a Sympathy Card

Past Services

Funeral Service

First Congregational of Reading

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Starts at 11:00 am

View Details

Interment

Arlington National Cemetery

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Starts at 3:00 pm

View Details

Roxie Ananian

Roxie Ananian (Dasdagulian), a long-time Melrose resident, died peacefully on September 15. Roxie was 86 years old and leaves a legacy of determination and optimism as a 23-year breast cancer survivor. She was the wife of the late Lt. Col. (Ret.) Meron (Pete) Ananian and is survived by daughter Joyce Ananian and her husband Kevin Currie of Waltham, daughter Jan Ananian of Reading, daughter Linda Ananian and her husband Craig Vickery and beloved grandchildren Ellen and Glenn Vickery, all of Reading.

Roxie was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island, the 5th of 7 siblings and is predeceased by all but one sister, Alice Mildner of Warwick. She was the daughter of Armenian immigrantsa father who owned a coal and ice business and a mother who took exceptional pride in raising her children as Americans.

Roxie married Pete after he returned from World War II but soon after entered military life when Pete was recalled into the Air Force on the advent of the Korean War. For the next 20 years she accompanied her husband to military bases in America and overseas, preparing her children to look forward to the next adventure rather than regret what was left behind. As a military wife, Roxie Ananian possessed the social gift of making everyone she met feel comfortable immediately and derived great enjoyment from introducing dinner guests from around the world to her rice pilaf.

Pete and Roxie settled in Melrose after retiring from the Air Force, where she spent the next 40 years. In 1970 Roxie took a job as a sales associate at a women's dress shop where she further applied the social skills that had made her such a successful officer's wife. Roxie was an avid bridge player, and one of her greatest joys was time spent with her bridge friends. Roxie loved being busy and was always on the go, whether it was entertaining, making Halloween costumes for her grandchildren or playing word games at The Fitch Home where she resided for the last 2 years of her life.

After so much traveling, Roxie's final trip will be to Arlington National Cemetery where she will be buried with Pete, her late husband of 56 years, on November 18th. A memorial service will be held at First Congregational Church of Reading, 25 Woburn Street, Reading, on Saturday, October 3rd at 11:00 a.m. Relatives and friends are invited.

Memorial contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to Reading Food Pantry, 6 Salem St., Reading, MA 01867 or Susan G. Komen for the Cure, PO Box 650309, Dallas, TX 75265.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Roxie Ananian, please visit our flower store.

Send a Sympathy Card