Archie Avedisian

Archie Avedisian  
On February 21, 2020, Archie Harry Avedisian passed away surrounded by loved ones after nearly 92 years of life. For 48 years, Archie worked in various leadership roles at Boys & Girls Clubs in Jamestown, NY; Brooklyn, NY; East St. Louis, IL; San Francisco, CA; Santa Rosa, CA; Seattle, WA; and greater Washington, DC. He was central to racially integrating East St. Louis, advocated for clubs to serve girls in addition to boys, was responsible for the addition of "& Girls" to the name of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, and increased the operating budget of the Clubs of Greater Washington from $190,000 to $10.5 million growing it from four clubs to 35 clubs and branches during his tenure. Shortly after his retirement in 1998, Archie began working for the Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association (WANADA) fundraising and recruiting for its auto technician training program, which provides free education and tools to aspiring auto technicians. At the time of his death, Archie was still employed at WANADA and had raised over $1.25 million, helping place over 500 men and women in jobs as auto technicians. Archie received numerous accolades and awards for his philanthropy. However, Archie would be the first to tell you that he attributes his success to the support of his wife, Gloria, to whom he was extremely devoted. Archie is survived by his daughter and her husband, Deb and Bill Whitelock, of Parkton, MD; his son and his wife, Tony and Chris Avedisian, of Woodbine, MD; and his grandchildren, Lindsey Avedisian, of Washington, DC, and Nick Avedisian, of Colorado Springs, CO. Friends and family may call on Thursday, February 27, 2020 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at DeVol Funeral Home, 10 E Deer Park Drive in Gaithersburg, MD. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, February 28, 2020 at 11 a.m. at St. John Neumann Church, 9000 Warfield Road in Gaithersburg, MD followed by Interment at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 13801 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring, MD. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Archie and Gloria Avedisian Scholarship Fund, 3173 Daisy Road, Woodbine, MD 21797. This charity was created over 20 years ago to honor Archie and his wife, Gloria, for their unwavering commitment to rehabilitating and educating underprivileged youth. Please sign the guest book at:www.DeVolFuneralHome.com