- Date Of Birth: April 10, 1924
- Date Of Death: March 5, 2017
- State: Michigan
On April 10, 1924, Mateos “Mike” Kashishian became the second of three sons born to Arsha (Pekmedjian) and Avedis Kashishian. As a youth, he was an Eagle Scout. After completing school at Highland Park High School, he joined the US Naval Air Corps, where he earned the American Theatre Ribbon and the Victory Medal. Upon his return from service, he worked as an aircraft mechanic in New York and then returned to Detroit, where he became a tool & die maker at Excello Corp. One night, while attending an Armenian dance, he met Lucy Zartarian, who wisely chose him as the most trustworthy looking guy to hold her purse while she went to take part in the dancing. That meeting later led to their marriage in 1949. During their 67 years of marriage, they were blessed with a daughter, Barbara (son-in-law David Harazian) and a son, the honorable Kirk (daughter-in-law Ankin) and grandchildren Kareena, Diona and Kirk. As children, Barbara and Kirk looked forward to summer road trips with Mom and Dad to Florida, the Great Smoky Mountains, Washington D.C., Asbury Park and many others destinations. In the Winter, he made the backyard into a skating rink, including an igloo, which he made from bricks made from snow he had packed in shoe boxes. He then joined in by skating around. He built all of the lawn furniture, including a facing bench swing, on which they would spend hours, swinging back and forth and just talking. His family will always remember him as a loving husband and father, who was always a loyal and supportive man on whom one could always depend. Nothing mattered more to him than his family. He will also be missed by many relatives and friends……
