Loosia Stepan Stepanians (July 20, 1933-November 28, 2023): Devoted Matriarch

Nothing brought more joy to Lily than having her family and friends over for large, joyous and relaxed feasts, where she covered the dining table from one end to the other with dishes, each made lovingly and expertly. Once a guest was at her table, saying they did not have room for any more was simply ignored and their plates were filled again.

She was a kind, devoted mother to her daughters. When the family permanently moved to Cambridge, following daughter Anahid, who had enrolled earlier that year at Boston University, she threw herself into life in her new country. She again created a warm home for her family, opening her doors to all their and their children’s friends, who were welcome anytime. For her, serving food to her family was how she showed her love. In addition to the traditional Armenian, Russian and Persian cuisine which she had long practice in, she had a stack of dogeared Bon Appetit magazines, which she mined for creative recipes, to the delight of her family and friends.

She always wanted to uphold the Armenian traditions of her native Iran and had been an active member for many years of the local Iranian-Armenian organization, the Armenian Society of Boston. For decades she helped the organization in making its annual nazook as well as the Easter and Armenian Christmas meals of rice, smoked fish and kookoo, a type of Persian herb frittata.

She also enjoyed listening to Armenian music, which she would do while working in her kitchen. She loved reading books in Armenian and English, with a soft spot for fellow Salmast native, author Hakob Melik Hakobian, whose penname was Raffi.

She brimmed with pride when speaking about her children or grandchildren. As much as she loved her daughters, the love she had for her grandchildren, Raffi and Tenny, was even grander. When they were with her and her husband, she was happiest, lighting up with pure joy. Her grandchildren only had to ask for something in order for her to make it her one mission to obtain it.

She and her husband traveled close to a dozen times to Armenia and Artsakh. While she always preferred to stay home, her husband’s love for traveling to Armenian lands made her a happy travel partner.