Henry 'Hank' Mahakian
Henry ''Hank'' Mahakian, husband of Eileen Stannard, died May 10, 2001 at their home in England. He was the eldest son of Gorish and Guldane Mahakien of East Haven, CT and a 1967 graduate of Hopkins Grammar School. After two years at Bates College he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, held the rank of Sargeant E-5, served on the U.S.S. Coral Sea and in 1973 received his honorable discharge. He chose to continue his education at Syracuse University. In 1976 he graduated with a BFA degree and he and Karen Bruce, also a Syracuse graduate, were married. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1994 and in 2000 he remarried and moved to England. Surviving him are his parents, brothers Peter and Paul and his former wife and their three children, Evan, Mary and Daniel, two uncles, an aunt and many cousins. On May 16 a funeral service and cremation took place in England and a funeral mass is to be held in Croton, New York. Memorial contributions to support Cancer Research may be sent to Yale Cancer Center, 333 Cedar St., New Haven, CT 06520 or toward hospice care, Connecticut Hospice, 100 Double Beach Rd., Branford, CT 06405
All the family send their love to you at your sad loss. Even though none of us had met Hank we had heard a great deal from Dorothy. All that we heard of Hank was of a very lovely person. Even though your time together was very short it was a happy time. Please convey my regrets to all his family. Just a while ago I was looking at your photos of him in America with his family. All of you must be devastated by his passing but I feel that this is better for him rather than pain. It is those who are left behind that feel the loss, and it is to you and all his other loved ones that I send my deepest sympathy.
As a longtime friend of Eileen’s I met Hank after they were married and Hank moved to England. I met Hank quite a few times but there’s one particular moment that really sticks in my mind. A few days before he died, I visited Hank to say hello. Evan, his son was there and so was Eileen. Hank was really poorly at this point and unable to even make conversation. To try and lighten the mood in the room, I asked Hank what he had got planned for the rest of day. He looked up at me and quick as a flash jokingly said .Surviving!!. None of us could stop laughing. Later I couldn’t help thinking, what a remarkable thing to say, the guy’s cracking jokes on his death-bed!!! More than that, I wondered, if that were I laying there, would I have had that same courage and lust for life till the end as Hank did? In the short time I knew Hank it was for me a real testament of the strength and character of who this man really was. A loss for us all. God bless you Hank, you will be missed. Warren
Everyone who knew Hank well must surely be sharing my deep sense of loss at his passing. I first contacted him on the internet on July 2nd, 1999, less than two years ago. I was immediately impressed by his warmth, keen intelligence, and humour. As we communicated each day, I realised he was also a kind, responsible, loving, courageous and romantic man. Within weeks I fell in love, and was overjoyed to find that my feelings were returned in full measure. We met in person in November 1999, when his visit to England confirmed our devotion to each other. On April 28th, 2000, we were married during my second visit to him in New York, and I had the pleasure of meeting his parents and children. We were utterly happy, contented and comforted to have found each other. Having settled his affairs, Hank joined me in England at the end of June 2000. By November, his renal cancer had been diagnosed, and we only had six short months more. Was it worth it? A thousand times, YES! The extreme pain of losing him is more than outmatched by the marvellous experience of finding such an exceptional person, and loving and being loved by him. He will always be in my heart. Thank you for reading this and thereby allowing me to share my thoughts with you. I hope we can also share not only our grief at his loss, but also our joy in his life.
Hank asked that I bring his children to see him in England just a few weeks before his death. My sympathy and prayers went with Hank as he passed into the next world. I know that there as promised, the imperfect in this world will pass away and we shall know love as it truly is.
Hank was a fine, intelligent and magically creative person. I have many, many recollections of our good times working together for over a decade. Some say that the real afterlife is living in the memories of those you leave behind. My memories of this fine gentleman certainly attest to this. God rest his soul.
Hank will always live in our hearts and we will treasure the fond memories of sharing time with him when he was a boy and later as a father. We visited him with Gracie in Verplanck, and he and his family joined us in family gatherings in Cheshire. Hank has enriched our lives with these memories and now by bringing Eileen into our world.
I send my condolences to Hank’s family. For the short time I’ve worked with Hank, my impression of him is that he is a loyal and honest man. He love to cook, for which I had the pleasure of tasting his famous .Chili and Swedish Meatballs.. A couple of times he cooked, he would bring to work a small portion for us to taste. He loved taking his kids camping, he would have everything planned out about a month ahead of time. He would not stop talking about going camping with his kids until that day would arrived. I could see that he found happiness when he met his wife Eileen on the internet. He would not stop talking about her everyday, He check his email first thing in morning when he got to work and before he left at night. He was like a teenager in love, all over again. I know he was accepted with open arms in God’s kingdom.
My condolences to Hank’s entire family. I see Hank at peace and now he is the head chef in the kitchen of heaven. We all here at the Slide House will dearly miss Hank.
The thing I remember most fondly about Hank was his sense of humour. Self-deprecating and always unexpected, he had a delightful .off centre. view. I also remember how good he made my sister, Eileen, feel about herself, and how much their relationship meant to them both. I will always regret that I did not have the opportunity to get to know my brother-in-law much better that I did. Have a good journey, Hank. Remember us as we remember you.
Uncle Harry and Jan