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Agnes Hagopian (nee Godoshian), Age 92. With her family by her side, Agnes passed away on February 7, 2022, in Okemos. Agnes devoted her life to her family. She was predeceased by her husband Jack. She is survived by her children, Avadis and Sherrie (Naif) Baidoon. Agnes was the cherished grandmother of Caroline and Nicholas Baidoon. She was predeceased by her siblings Mardiros (Keghetzeeg) Godoshian, George (Nevart) Godoshian, Archolose (Theo) Otis, Setrag Godoshian, and Dorothy Wray. Agnes will also be dearly missed by her nieces, nephews, and friends.
Visitation Friday, February 25, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. until time of service at 12:00 p.m. at the Auxiliary Sanctuary of St. John Armenian Church, located in the Veterans’ Building on the church campus, 22001 Northwestern Highway, Southfield.
In Agnes’s memory, the family suggests donations be sent to either St. John Armenian Church or the Children of Armenia Fund.
Agnes was born on July 15, 1929, in Pontiac, Michigan to Armenian genocide-surviving parents, Nishon and Derouhie (nee Aprahamian) Godoshian. Shortly after her birth, the Great Depression began and created hardship for her parents and siblings, George, Archolose, and Dorothy. Her brother Setrag passed away in 1924, and her brother Mardiros was already married with a family. Nishon was a devoted family man and worked hard to support the family. However, a tragic streetcar accident took place in 1932, and Nishon succumbed to his injuries. Devastated by this loss, the family found it necessary to make further sacrifices to survive including taking in a boarder. Her older siblings were impacted more than Agnes because she was so young.
Derouhie remained a widow until 1936, when she married Giragos Godoshian. Life for the Godoshians’ improved following Derouhie’s marriage. However, Agnes would often comment how there were things she never enjoyed until her stepfather joined the family, such as donuts, pies, a beautiful pink snowsuit, car rides, and a baby buggy but alas no baby doll. Agnes often reminisced about her depression era childhood as being an adventurous child, playing with her nieces Sema, Sally, and Sirouhi Godoshian, and how the girls would take turns riding Mary Lou Palian’s bicycle. She graduated from Pontiac High School in 1947. Following graduation, Agnes worked at a department store in Pontiac, traveled frequently to visit her sisters Archolose in Chicago, Illinois and Dorothy in Ortonville, Michigan and worked at Ford Motor Company.
In May 1954, Agnes married Jack Hagopian. They became a family of four when Sherrie arrived in 1959, and Avadis in 1967. Throughout their married life, they lived in southwest Detroit in the same neighborhood as the Vartanian and Posigian relatives. Agnes also gained a close and cherished friend in Rose Vartanian, from Rhode Island, who like Agnes married into the family. In 1966, Agnes learned to drive and started working for the City of Detroit, Department of Public Lighting in the Lamp Room where calls would come in when streetlights were out around the city. She retired from her position in January 1995.
Throughout Agnes’s life, she was known for beauty, grace, a lovely disposition, generosity, and her caring nature. Rose’s husband Kourken affectionately referred to her as “the Red Cross.” She not only cared for her family, was devoted to her mother but also to in-laws and neighbors and gave to charitable organizations.
Agnes and Rose had many adventures together. They shared a love for shopping, the movies, going out to lunch, and simply spending time together for coffee. Agnes was also fond of both Armenian and American dancing, television, china painting, fashion, oriental rugs, popular music, reading, and ironing. She enjoyed baking and her signature cookie was the Armenian walnut crescent.
Agnes found joy in being a grandmother. At her request, Caroline and Nicholas called her Myrig. Myrig spent countless hours in East Lansing helping in anyway she could with the children and went on several trips to Disney World. Myrig loved to read and play Monopoly and Twister with Caroline and Nicholas. They were always excited when she would visit.
Agnes’s life should have continued in its carefree manner. She was fortunate to live until age 92; however, her Earthly presence was slowly extinguished by a hemorrhagic stroke in February 2011. She had genes which gave her a long life, but she endured the heavy burden of the effects of her stroke. Over the past 11 years, there were some pleasurable moments; however, she could not communicate verbally but somehow you could tell that deep inside she understood through her facial expressions and hand gestures. On the bright side, a number of overwhelmingly kindhearted people came into Agnes’s life and brought her joy despite her health crisis. Agnes’s family would like to express its gratitude and profound thanks to her Earth angels, Mary Adelman, Connie Benca, Shari Carson, Kathryn Farr, Marcella Fox Brown, Sally Kabodian, Zita McLellan, Linda Murray Chermak, Annice Schlesinger, Carol Troia, Shannon Thelen, and Linda Wegener.
Over the past 92 years, Agnes has touched many, many lives. She will be deeply missed by her family, extended family, and friends.
To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.