Taquhi “Queenie” R. (Khoshabjian) Samourian, 99, of Cambridge, MA, passed away peacefully of natural causes on July 27, 2020. Queenie was born on November 12, 1920, in Chelsea, MA, to the late Tomas and Rose (Hakimian) Khoshabjian who immigrated from Armenia. She was predeceased by her siblings John, Levon, Paul, George, and Catherine Khoshabjian and Marion Andonian.
Queenie was the beloved wife of the late Bagdasar “Billy” Samourian with whom she shared 37 wonderful years of marriage. She was the devoted mother of Helena Samourian, Martha and her husband Kenneth Bedrosian, Susan and her husband Gregory Gougian, and June and her husband Ara Hollisian. Queenie was the loving grandmother of Rebecca and her husband Bradley Sweet, Rachel, Ruth and Rose Gougian, John and Sara Kamciyan, Christopher, Stephen and Ani Hollisian, and Dianna Bedrosian with whom she shared a special bond. She is the great-grandmother of Benjamin and Timothy Sweet.
She graduated from Chelsea High School with High Honors in 1938 and worked in the family business, Washington Street Fruit and Produce, in Chelsea until 1944. She went on to work for S.S. Pierce and later as a milliner for Kennedy’s in Boston.
Queenie loved her Armenian religion and heritage and had unwavering faith in God. She loved dancing, singing Armenian songs, reading, drawing roses, and calligraphy. She enjoyed playing the piano and studied at the New England Conservatory during the Depression. She instilled a love of music and the arts in her children and grandchildren.
Her dream of traveling across the country and visiting the beautiful National Parks came true during the summer of ’69 when she and Billy took their four daughters on a trip throughout the country. Queenie loved baseball and was a Boston Red Sox fan. An avid walker, she loved walking around Harvard Square and enjoyed the views of the Charles River.
Queenie lived on her own until 2009 when she moved to Carlisle, MA to live with her daughter Martha and her family. Their late Golden Retriever, Taffy, was her dear companion and always by her side. In 2016, Queenie became a resident of Park Avenue Health Center in Arlington, MA.
Queenie, our mother, our grandmother, and our great-grandmother was loved by all and will be remembered forever. Visitation hours celebrating Queenie’s life will be held at Holy Trinity Armenian Church in Cambridge on Friday, July 31, 2020, at 11:00 AM. Funeral services will be held immediately after at 12:00 PM, and interment will follow at Cambridge Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Queenie’s memory to the Fund for Armenia Relief (FAR), or Holy Trinity Armenian Church.