Johnny Kazian

John "Johnny" Kazian, 81, of Kuna, Idaho, fell asleep in the Lord at his home surrounded by family on April 23, 2015. Johnny was born on May 19, 1933 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended Northeast Public High School and later graduated from Temple University with a degree in mechanical engineering.
Johnny lived life to the fullest. In 1947, at the age of 14, he performed as a trapeze artist for the first time after having trained since he was 7. The thrill of "flying through the air" sparked a love for acrobatics that would inspire him to become the greatest wingwalker in the world. Johnny spent his life performing live before thousands of people around the world. Audience members stood and watched in awe as Johnny performed death defying feats such as a plane to plane transfer in mid-air, firewall crashes while hanging from a rope ladder and countless aerobatics while on the wing of the airplane. He entertained thousands more as he stunt doubled on numerous television and cinema productions to include television shows such as The Dukes of Hazard, The Six Million Dollar Man and movies such as The Great Waldo Pepper, Capricorn One, The Stuntman and many others.
Though a consummate entertainer, Johnny was also deeply patriotic and answered his country's call to duty on July 24, 1950 when he enlisted in the Navy to fight against the North Koreans. He served honorably and earned many awards and accolades before his discharge on March 18, 1954.
Johnny was very dedicated to his Armenian heritage and was very active in the Armenian community. He tirelessly dedicated much time in research and political outreach both locally and in Washington D.C. to bring recognition to the plight of the Armenian people to have the United States recognize the atrocities committed by the Ottoman Turks in 1915 as they attempted to annihilate the Armenian population. He spent countless hours fighting to have Turkey held accountable for these actions and to have the United States formally recognize the guilt of Turkey. He brought together the Armenian people of Idaho in prayer and community. He was active in the Armenian National Committee of America and accompanied this organization on many trips to Washington D.C.
Johnny had many hobbies such as woodworking, land surveying and drawing, but he was most active with the Treasure Valley Pool League. He served as president of the league for over 15 years and greatly looked forward to playing with his team each week.
Johnny was united in marriage to the love of his life, Mary Ellen, on April 23, 1976. He was preceded in death by his father, Nishan Kazian, his mother, Marguerite Maley, and his sister, Mary Feil. He is survived by his wife, Mary Ellen; his daughter, Esther; his son Tony; his grandchildren: Connor, Beck, Myles, Nishan, Kalea and Peyton and his great grandchildren: Bailey and Jamie.
A memorial will be held at Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church at 2618 West Bannock street in Boise today, April 28, 2015 at 6:00 pm. A graveside service will be held at Kuna Cemetery on Wednesday,April 29, 2015 at 11:00 am with a memorial gathering immediately following at the Kuna Event Center on the corner of 4th street and Avenue D in Kuna. Services are under the direction of Accent Funeral Home, Meridian. Remembrances may be left for the family online at www.AccentFuneral.com.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to the Armenian National Committee of America in Johnny's name, http://www.anca.org.