Lloyd S. Saatjian

SAATJIAN, Reverend Lloyd S. Reverend Lloyd S. Saatjian died at home in Santa Barbara on Tuesday, July 28th, surrounded by his wife and children. He was 75 years old and had been in declining health for the past eight months. Reverend Saatjian is survived by his wife of 45 years, Martha, his daughter Wendy, son Mark and wife Elisabeth Weber and their children, David and Ruben; sister Gloria Deukmejian and husband George and their children Leslie Gebb, George Deukmejian and Andrea Pollak. He is also survived by Scott and Steve Saatjian, the children of his brother Clarence, who predeceased him, and Florence Saatjian Marsh. Lloyd also had many beloved aunts, cousins, great nieces, great nephews and friends. He was born and raised in Long Beach and graduated from Long Beach Poly High School. After receiving his bachelor's degree in literature from USC, he enrolled in the USC School of Theology at Claremont.
His ministry included appointments to Methodist churches in Long Beach, Central Los Angeles, Palm Springs, and Santa Barbara. He also served as Santa Ana District Superintendent and was Dean of the Cabinet for three terms. Lloyd was involved with United Methodist Camp Ministries for Youth and Adults for 40 years. He retired in 2004 after 47 years of active ministry. Following retirement he continued sharing his unique Middle Eastern perspectives of the Parables of Jesus with local congregations and throughout the country. While in Palm Springs, Lloyd was a member of the Board of the Palm Springs School District and helped negotiate the first table grape contract between the United Farm Workers and growers. He then became the named arbitrator on the contract. Reverend Saatjian also served on the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. In the local community Lloyd was involved with the Santa Barbara Clergy Association. His leadership helped provide the Sacred Space at Cottage Hospital. For the past 13 years, Lloyd organized work teams to rebuild African American churches destroyed by arson in the South. To honor his life, a memorial service will be held Saturday, August 22 at 2 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Santa Barbara. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Sacred Space at the new Cottage Hospital (Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Foundation, POB 689, Santa Barbara, CA 93102) or to the donor's favorite charity.