M. JOHN DEMIRJIAN

DEMIRJIAN--M. John M. John Demirjian of Quogue, NY died on August 22 at Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead, NY. He was 79. He was born in Evanston, Illinois on May 24, 1933. His parents, Puzant and Nevare (nee Kalustian) Demirjian, were immigrants whose families had escaped the Armenian genocide during WWI. Mr. Demirjian graduated from Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL in 1955 with a B.S. in Zoology. That same year he was drafted into the Armed Services but received a 4-F exemption due to a head injury he had suffered playing high school football, which also accounted for the stunning white streak in his hair. In 1957, following a brief stint in the study of medicine, Mr. Demirjian shifted his professional focus to Wall Street. and joined the investment bank of L.F. Rothschild & Co, Inc. He loved the work and, rising rapidly through the ranks, was named manager of municipal bond trading in 1960. By 1972, he was a general partner, and in 1975 became the director of international operations, establishing important relationships with many European, Middle Eastern, and Japanese financial organizations and agencies, including the Vatican, the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority, the Monarchy of Liechtenstein, and numerous central banks. He was named an administrative partner at Rothschild in 1985. In 1989 he joined Bishop Rosen & Co. where he served as a financial adviser until his retirement in 2005. Mr. Demirjian was an avid golfer and a member of The National Golf Links in Southampton and the Quogue Field Club. He was also a long-time member of the New York Athletic Club. An active member of Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church in Manhattan for many years, he served there as a trustee and elder. Upon the retirement of the Reverend David Read in 1991, Mr. Demirjian established a scholarship fund in Dr. Read's name, which awards $10,000 each year to an outstanding seminary student. In his retirement, he continued to analyze the financial markets in the context of world events, poring over six newspapers every day. He was always elegantly dressed, usually with a cigar in hand. A warm, gregarious bear of a man, he was much beloved by family and friends alike. He is survived by his second wife, Nancy Mullan-Demirjian; and three children, Andrea, Gregory, and Alexis. A funeral service was held on Saturday, August 25, at the Church of the Atonement in Quogue. The family suggests that memorial donations be sent to a charity of the donor's choice .