- Date Of Birth: November 16, 1926
- Date Of Death: June 22, 2022
- State: Michigan
Flora Apkarian Yessaian, age 95, went to be with our Lord on June 22, 2022.
FLORA’S LIFE AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF HER FAMILY
I want to tell you about my grandmother, Flora Yessaian. To us, she was Gagi. But, in order to give you a fair assessment of her story and her character, I need to take you back in time…
We begin with Aris Apkarian, Flora’s father, who was born and raised in Turkey. He was the youngest of six brothers and one sister. His siblings would eventually be killed off during the Armenian Genocide along with his mother and father… a village priest. 17-year-old Aris survived. You see, his family had earlier provided his passage to the United States before meeting their own demise. They believed he could make better money in the states… and then return back to Turkey with a profit. And so, he worked in the coal mines of North Dakota, earning a dollar a day for a full day’s work…still not knowing the others had been murdered. It was only when he returned back to Turkey that he learned his entire family was murdered by the Ottoman Turks.
In time, Aris would marry Nazle (or in English…Nancy) They had their first child, Helen. But, with the ongoing threats of discrimination against Armenians, they were chased out of Turkey and fled to Greece. That’s where Flora was born. Piraeus, Greece (the port city of Athens). It was 1926. She would be the middle child as her younger brother Mardy was born sometime later. However, their time in Greece did not last long as they had to move on to Lebanon. There were too many refugees in Greece, so they boarded a ship to Beirut.
Still, not totally satisfied with his circumstances, young Aris wanted more for his family. His earlier taste of America had him yearning for a return. As relatives of his were arriving in Argentina he had heard from them that his best bet in getting back to America was by way of Cuba. There he would find a bridge connecting Cuba to the United States. In fact, there were other Armenians who were equally misinformed. If you’ve read any history on Cuba, you’ll find there was a whole colony of Armenians who migrated to that island during the late 20s and early 30s…and some for the same reasons. They boarded the boat to Cuba, but it was only for woman and children. Men were not allowed, yet Aris managed to sneak on the boat to be with his family. My grandmother told us he was actually hit over the head and passed out on the ship for trespassing.
So, here they were…in Cuba…This would be Flora’s new home from the age of 2 till 16. This is where she found herself transitioning from the middle child to leader of the household. She felt she had no other choice. Her father was almost never home. He worked as a shoe maker from dawn ‘til dusk. Flora’s mother, Nazle, contracted Tuberculosis and died at age 30. The older sister, Helen, tried to help when possible but now, it was 8-year-old Flora who committed herself to managing the family’s affairs. She would take control in an effort to ease her father’s burden.
The money was scarce and so was the food. The family shuffled from one crowded tenement house to the next for cheaper rent. These places never had more than one bathroom for multiple families. If life wasn’t complicated enough, little brother Mardy was forever getting into mischief… antagonizing the Cuban kids in the neighborhood. When it looked like there would be a fist fight…Flora rushed to Mardy’s rescue even if he was the perpetrator…sometimes chasing down the aggressors with a broomstick.
This is the time when my grandmother began losing her childhood innocence. She appointed herself with a tremendous responsibility …to be self-sufficient…to become hardened…to be on the lookout for anything resembling evil. Not unlike her father, she layered herself with suspicion of anyone seemingly unfriendly to her cause. This is when she became judgmental…needing to insulate herself from those grey areas of indecision. Everything had to be black and white. You were either with her or against her…you were right or you were wrong.
During the Batista regime, Cuba was a relatively calm. It was a time when Americans were traveling over for the casinos, dancing and parties. These were also the days she was looking for food and money…stealing flour and meat from grocery stores…selling used up lottery tickets to unsuspecting customers.
Things took a real turn when during the revolution, Castro attempted to take control. As the revolution took hold, they found themselves in their apartment ducking from gunfire…
Food! Besides all the amazing Armenian food she cooked, she was the best maker of oatmeal that had golden raisins in it (she always had golden raisins), great pancakes with Log Cabin Syrup only, and always a bowl filled with either gummy oranges, sesame candies or strawberry candies filled with jelly. We spent the night at her house A LOT. She helped us build boats that we attempted to float and ride on her pond, took us sledding (while she waited in the car for us). I may have even broken my arm on that trip but STILL stayed at her house. She really was involved in every aspect of our lives. My grandmother, Gagi as we lovingly called her, was 95 when she left us. She will be sorely missed but never forgotten. We love you Gagi and we know God will look after you. God Bless you.
FAMILY MEMBERS
Flora leaves behind her loving sons Dan (Kathy) Yessian and Mark (Cindy) Yessian. Known as “Gagi” to her precious grandchildren Brian (Maggie) Yessian, Michael (Maureen) Yessian, Matthew (Nina) Yessian, and Christy Yessian (Ryan) Johns, Flora was also blessed with 11 great-grandchildren – Landon, Gavin, Tyler, Lula, Felix, Isla, Grant, Gwen, Christian, Cameron, Isabella. She will be missed by many nieces and nephews and especially her dear friend Dalia Donikian, as well as her caretaker Bonnie and Westlake staff. Flora was predeceased by brother Mardy Apkarian and sister Helen Torosian.
MEMORIAL DONATIONS
FLORISTS
THANK YOU
