METHUEN, Mass. — Richard Alan Vann, beloved father, husband, brother, and grandfather passed away peacefully on September 7, after a nearly decade-long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Though his personality was transformed by his illness, Richard’s sweet character and gentle demeanor persisted until the very end. This enabled his wife, Araxie, to care for him in their home in Methuen, MA until the last days of his life.
Richard was born in the Naval Hospital in San Diego, California on September 16, 1952, to Isaiah McPhail Vann Jr., a commander and radar missile guidance expert for the US Navy, and Margaret (Peggy) O’Reilly, a social worker. He spent the earliest years of his life traversing the country’s Naval bases—from Vallejo, California to Bethesda, Maryland — thanks to his father’s sought-after expertise. This early uprooting is perhaps where the seeds for Richard’s lifelong passion for travel were sown.
In 1962, the family, which now included his younger brother James, settled in Wayland, Massachusetts. Richard attended Wayland High School, where he excelled academically and discovered his love for the stage and extraordinary talent for picking up languages. So advanced was his French, that he took part in a student exchange program in Caen, France. One local acquaintance from this time jokingly recalls of his language skills that “his French was better than mine… and I am French!”
After high school, Richard attended Colby College in Waterville, Maine where he majored in French language and education. After college, he received a master’s degree in teaching English as a second language (ESL) at St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont (not far from where his elder daughter currently resides). During his time in Vermont, Richard met Araxie Kazandjian at a Russian language summer program hosted by Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont. Araxie was a young woman who had immigrated from Soviet Armenia just four years prior, and who was herself completing a Master’s in Russian Language and Literature. Araxie was instantly drawn to Richard’s magnetic and charismatic personality. She was particularly impressed by his intense curiosity about other cultures and eagerness to learn from those who were different from him. One of many ways he won her heart was by enrolling in Armenian language classes in Watertown, MA to better understand her and communicate with her family. Such was the kind of person he was — someone who happily applied their natural talents to make others feel welcome.
The next few years saw Richard take on many interesting roles teaching foreign students ESL at various academic institutions, including George Washington University, American University, and Catholic University in Washington. He was loved by his students wherever he went. The Director of Admissions at George Washington University once commended his abilities in a recommendation letter: “One of Richard’s outstanding traits as a teacher was his ability to take the well-ordered methodical lesson and bring it to life. … Richard’s attitude towards work is to do a good job and at the same time to enjoy it. He does not accept boredom easily. He has the ability to make even a tedious job more interesting.”
Araxie and Richard were married in 1982 and soon his career brought him to the Washington DC metro area. Araxie was working for the Voice of America, an International Shortwave Radio Broadcasting Federal agency, providing news in 44 languages. In 1989 Richard traded his teaching in academia for more cutting-edge work in corporate consulting at Booz Allen & Hamilton. These were happy and productive years, in the suburbs of Annandale, Virginia where both their daughters were born.
