Ara Gamsarian Yeramyan, February 23, 1940 — March 15, 2019

Ara Gamsarian Yeramyan, 79, passed away on March 15, 2019, in North Salt Lake, Utah, surrounded by loved ones. He was born on February 23, 1940, in Ploesti, Romania, to Karnik and Ardemis (Yegiyayan) Yeramyan. He finished high school at age 16 and was drafted to work in a factory for six years under Communist regime.

At age 22, he escaped to Istanbul, Turkey and attended Robert College, now Bosphorus University. Inn 1965, Ara moved to the United States and completed his undergraduate degree at UCLA. He went on to earn his master’s degree at California State University, Long Beach, his PhD in chemistry at Michigan State University, followed by his postdoctoral research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In 1970, he married Agavni Pontish (Zambak) Yeramyan. They moved to the Philadelphia area in 1973, where Ara worked as a research scientist at Dupont. Shortly After, Ara and Pontish had two daughters, Araks and Ani.

In 1993, he joined GAP International, the company his wife founded, to serve on the leadership team. He brought his wide-ranging expertise to the firm, from developing leadership programs, creating organizational alignment videos and overseeing patents of GAP’s products and services. Ara was fascinated by science and nature, and he was an inventor at heart.

He was always ahead of the curve, and his wide-ranging interests included creating healthy food, art, gardening, and inventing new products. He had both a brilliant scientific mind and a playful spirit. He could bring a smile to the face of anyone he engaged with, and he could also have them think in extraordinary new ways.

Ara is survived by Pontish, his wife of 49 years; daughters, Araks Yeramyan (Joe) and Ani Yeramyan Speirs (Dan) ; brother, Edward Gamsarian (Ani); and five grandchildren, Aren, Garo, Khoren, Ara and Taline. Donations may be made to: St. Sahag and St. Mesrob Armenian Apostolic Church 630 Clothier Rd.

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