Hasmik Simonian MD

Our dear beloved mother, Hasmik Simonian, passed away peacefully in Ocean City at the age of 90.
Hasmik Simonian was preceded in death by her husband Thomas Simonian.
She is survived by her two sons Armen and Gregory, their spouses Sally and Carla, and her four grandchildren whom she absolutely adored: Alexandra, Garrett, Sophia and Olivia.
Hasmik Simonian was born in Mashad Iran on July 29 of 1934. Her father was Abkar Bachdasarian (later changed to Gasparian) and her mother was Vartohe. Unfortunately within one year of giving birth to Hasmik, Vartohe died from Tuberculosis. Abkar eventually remarried to Aroosiak and that was who raised Hasmik.
Hasmik was an outstanding student through high school and decided to become a doctor. She was accepted to medical school in Mashad Iran, and she became one of only two women in her class to graduate and get her degree. She came to the United States in 1960 as an exchange visitor and did her internship at Bayonne Hospital during which time she met her future husband Thomas Simonian. She did her Pediatric residency in Miami Florida followed by a fellowship in Pediatric Oncology at Sloan Kettering. During this time she started to moonlight in the Bayonne Hospital ER where she found her passion and decided to pursue a career in Emergency Medicine – a specialty that did not even exist at the time as she was a pioneer in this field. It was not until 1976 that the first board exam for Emergency Medicine was founded and Hasmik passed with flying colors.
It was during this early time in her medical career that she gave birth to Armen in 1963 and Gregory in 1966. She was extremely proud that both her sons followed in her footsteps to become outstanding physicians in their respective fields of Gastroenterology and Vascular Surgery.
Hasmik and the family spent their summers in Ocean City, NJ. During summer vacations, she would often call Shore Memorial Hospital to let them know she was in town and available to do shifts in the ER.
She eventually settled down in Ocean City and formed a tight community of friends that she would enjoy spending time with.
She was an active member of various Armenian Societies and was recently honored by the Armenian Relief Society.
She was an amazing story teller who would often recount Armenian history in vivid detail.
She was a devoted wife, a loving mother, an outstanding mother in law, and an amazing grandmother.
She will always be remembered for her style, flair for the dramatic, her passion for life, and of course her amazing wardrobe and complementary jewelry!
We will miss her dearly but her memory will live on in the hearts of all those who knew and loved her.
Visitation at the Funeral home will be on August 23, 2024 from 4-8 pm at Frank Patti and Kenneth Mikatarian Funeral Home on 327 Main Street in Fort Lee NJ.
Funeral Services will be on August 24, 2024 from 10:30 – 11:30 am at Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church at 461 Bergen Boulevard in Ridgefield NJ.
Burial services will be on August 24, 2024 from 11:45 – 12 noon at Grove Chuch Cemetery, 1132 46th Street, North Bergen, NJ.
A gathering for family and friends will take after the Cemetery Services at Biagio's Ristorante at 299 Paramus Road, Paramus, NJ.
Donations can be made in honor of Hasmik Simonian to the ARS Bergen County Armenouhi Chapter, C/o Carol Kennelly, 416 Glendale Rd, Wyckoff, NJ, 07481 And/Or the Hovnanian School, 817 River Road, New Milford, NJ, 07646.
In lieu of flowers, the family ask that you may donate in memory of Dr. Simonian to the charities below.