Karolyn KURKJIAN-JONES

KURKJIAN-JONES, Karolyn Of Watertown and formerly of Dorchester and the North End. Passed away on July 20, 2025 at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London, CT. Born in Dorchester, she was the devoted daughter of Rosella and Anooshavan ("Flash") Kurkjian; and the beloved mother of Meredith Kurkjian Lobur and her wife, Stephanie Page, of Provincetown and Peter E. A. Lobur and his wife, Janel Lobur, of Frederick, MD. She was the best grandmother "Gammy" to her adored Rhett and Reagan Lobur; and the cherished sister of Stephen Kurkjian of Manomet and Elizabeth "Liz" Kurkjian-Henry and her husband, John W. Henry, of Niantic, CT. She was the wife of the late Ralph Jones, a consultant for the U.S. Department of Transportation, whom she met when he moved to Boston in the mid-1980s.

Karolyn was a graduate of Dorchester High School and Boston State Teachers College. She cherished her years at her dream-come-true contemporary condo and deck in the North End. Mayor Menino awarded her Best of Boston Deck Design several years in a row. When she moved into her parents' house in Watertown, she turned it into another showcase of design and beauty. Dearest to her heart were the Kurkjian family memories that we made at our Manomet cottage, Mer Doon and "down the beach."

In the 1960s, Karolyn achieved her lifelong dream and became a flight attendant for American Airlines. She had maintained her ties to the airlines decades later and was working as a volunteer at Logan International Airport on the morning of September 11, 2001, assisting early arrivals to their gates. Minutes after the tragedy became known, she was transferred to the Logan Hilton Hotel, where she brought consolation and comfort to those family members who may have had loved ones on the American Airlines flight that had been hijacked from the airport.

Her other careers included a teacher in the Boston Public Schools and a Boston real estate agent. She loved her most recent job the most, as a concierge at the Boston Park Plaza, as it allowed her to become Boston's most proud ambassador, directing visitors to the city's best sights and sites, whether historic and hidden. She was still planning to return to "the desk" after her recuperation.

Her passions in life included figure skating, which she perfected at ice rinks wherever she lived, whether in Dorchester, Needham, upstate New York, Tampa and the North End, and she maintained her membership in the Skating Club of Boston. Other passions included gardening, keeping her home as if House Beautiful was coming to write a feature article at any moment and rescuing older, often frail dogs and cats. She was Larry David's biggest fan and a rapt daily listener to Boston Public Radio's "Jim & Margery" Show.

She was our family's most avid reader and political pundit. Her antipathy to the current occupant of the White House was so strong that she sent him a postcard every day, except Sundays, demanding that he release his taxes during his first term in office. Her anger towards his presidency became well-known enough, that the New York Times featured her letter-writing campaign in its page one story in 2020, on Americans' rejoicing over President Biden's victory. Karolyn was ever-elegant, ever-informed, ever-loving and loved by all who knew her.

A Funeral Service for Karolyn will be held at St. James Armenian Church, 465 Mount Auburn St., Watertown, on August 6, at 11 a.m. Visiting Hours will be held from 10-11 a.m., immediately prior to the Service. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to St. James Armenian Church or to a charity dedicated to the rescue of older dogs, the Danny Boy Adoption Fund, P.O. Box 4043, Pittsfield, MA 01202. Cemetery Services will be private. Arrangements by Aram Bedrosian Funeral, WATERTOWN. arambedrosianfuneralhome.com