DAVIT ZARGARIAN

Davit Zargarian died suddenly from a heart attack, on Friday, August 15, 2025. He was 64 years old.

Davit will be missed by his wife, Angela Arnet Connidis; their four boys, Andre (Robyn), Garen (Nathalia), Karlin (Tiffany), and Simon (Simone) Arnet-Zargarian; his three grandsons, Makar, Henrik, and Vigo; his sister, Ano (Yervand); his brother, Razmik (Karmen); his nephews, Armen, Ara, Arne and Aren; his many aunts, uncles, and cousins in Los Angeles, Toronto and Armenia; and Angela's mother, sisters, brothers, nephews and niece.

He was a proud Armenian, born in Teheran, Iran, on March 29, 1961, son of Haroutyune Zargarian (d. 1962) and Asanet Asatourian. He was a dedicated son and cared deeply for his mother, who raised Ano, Davit, and Razmik on her own after their father's tragic passing. Asanet supported and uplifted him throughout his childhood and academic pursuits, for which he was forever grateful. He often travelled to Los Angeles to visit his mother and be by her side when she fell ill.

Davit lived a life rich in experience and relationships. At 18, he immigrated to Canada with his high school friend, Noel, where he set out on his own, choosing to first retake his final year of high school and build a strong foundation in his new home. He was so happy when he was later joined by Razmik and Karmen, and his cousins, Hilda and Vartan, Masis and Roubina, and Saro and Arsine.

Davit mastered English, and later French. He earned a BSc from the University of Toronto in 1985, where he made lifelong friendships and met Angela. They were soon each other's "have-to-have," and were married in 1986.

Davit's BSc was quickly followed by an MSc from the University of Waterloo, and a PhD from the University of Ottawa, where he had moved to join Angela while she finished her law studies. Davit completed his post-Doctorate studies at Scripps Research Institute and the University of California San Diego in 1993, and started his career at the Université de Montréal, as a professor of Chemistry. By then, he had a family of four boys. In 1997, the family moved back to Ottawa, though Davit continued his career at the Université de Montréal, commuting weekly, until he retired in December 2024. Over the course of his career, Davit mentored hundreds of students and forged countless relationships that span the globe. His pursuit in retirement was clear: to be with his family, uplift the Armenian community, and contribute to climate change innovation. We are all sad that he had so little time to do that.

Davit was a steadfast, loving husband to Angela, through the heights and depths of their life together, and a loving, fiercely proud and happy father to Andre, Garen, Karlin and Simon - diving headfirst into their interests, whether hockey, football, art or music and their lifelong friends. His joie de vivre lived on to his last days, especially with his grandsons.

Davit's honesty, integrity, and caring nurtured his family, his friends, his Armenian community, his neighbours, and colleagues across the world. The sorrow of his loss reflects the joy his life brought to us all.

There will be a Celebration of Davit's life on Sunday, August 31st, from 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 pm at the First Unitarian Congregation (30 Cleary Avenue, Ottawa, ON K2A 3Z9). All those who miss Davit are welcome. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Davit's honour to the Children of Armenia Fund or the Armenian Tree Project, or becoming a member/donating to Climate Fresk.

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