Victoria Gregorian

1923 - 2023

Victoria Gregorian
July 22, 1923 - November 14, 2023
Victoria Gregorian, age 100, passed away peacefully at her home on November 14, 2023, in San Francisco, CA. She was a remarkable woman who lived a life full of resilience, strength, and optimism.
Victoria was born on July 22, 1923, in Baku, Azerbaijan, the youngest of four children. Her youth coincided with the start of World War II. After graduating high school, at the age of 17, Victoria volunteered for active duty in the Soviet Army, bravely serving on the front lines against Nazi Germany and Japan from 1941 to 1945. She was awarded several medals for her valor in the military service.
After Japan's capitulation and the end of World War II, Victoria returned home to an economically devastated country. Despite enduring near starvation in post-war Soviet Union, Victoria persevered and earned her post-graduate degree in engineering and economics at the Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University.
In her career, Victoria was a leading economist and engineer, dedicating 40 years of service to the Ministry of Oil and Gas Industries in Azerbaijan, USSR. Her contributions to the field were significant and impactful.
In 1989, Victoria and her husband barely escaped an ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Azerbaijan, eventually finding refuge in the United States. She continued to work tirelessly well into her 80s to support her family, leaving behind a legacy of determination and perseverance.
Outside of her professional life, Victoria had a zest for knowledge and loved reading poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Victoria was a devoted mother and grandmother, and nothing gave her more joy than hosting her family and friends with home-cooked feasts.
Victoria will be deeply missed by her surviving children, Karine, George, and Nellie, her daughter-in-law Irene, her son-in-law William, her grandchildren Narina, Milana, and Anna, and her great-grandchildren Andrew, Emma, Nicolas, and Camilla. She was preceded in death by her husband Norayr Gregorian, her sister Elena Kokjaeva, her mother Anna Ambartsumova, and her father Sumbat Ambartsumov.
Memorial services in honor of Victoria will be held at Duggan's Serra Mortuary, located at 500 Westlake Avenue, Daly City, CA 94014, on Wednesday, November 22, 2023 at 11:00 am PST. Contributions in her memory can be made to AGBU (Armenian General Benevolent Union) through their website at https://agbu.org.
Victoria Gregorian was a true hero, an inspiration to all who knew her. Her resilience, inner strength, and unwavering optimism will forever be remembered. May her soul rest in eternal peace.