Armenian Genocide survivor Asdghig “Starrie” Alemian dies in U.S. at 109

September 13, 2019 - 11:33 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Asdghig “Starrie” Alemian, one of the last Armenian Genocide survivors in Massachusetts and a strong presence at every Genocide commemoration at the State House, died on September 5, 2019. She was 109, The Armenian Mirror Spectator reports.

She was a survivor of the Armenian Genocide, which took the lives of her parents and brothers, leaving her orphaned at age 5. She lived in an orphanage in Syria until 12 years old when her uncle Garabed Tetezian assisted her and her sister Anna in coming to the United States.

Starrie worked alongside her husband in running Alemian’s Delicatessen for more than 30 years.

Beginning in the 1980s, Alemian was honored yearly at the State House for Armenian Martyrs Day. On her 90th birthday, she traveled to Egypt and Syria with family, revisiting parts of her childhood.

She liked to celebrate her birthdays at the Red Parrot in Hull.

She was skilled at needlepoint, Armenian needle lace, piano and cooking.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.