Jean C. Bogossian

Jean and Haig Bogossian

On January 3, 2019, Jean Manning Bogossian died peacefully at home in Boca Raton surrounded and cared for by loving friends and family.  Jean was preceded in death by her husband of 66 years, Haig Garabed Bogossian who passed away November 10, 2017.

Jean and Haig had a long life together which took them on many adventures from the days of life in Brooklyn NY  to Long Island, to Vermont and to Florida.   Upon returning from WWII as a U.S. Marine, Haig  continued to build his father’s insurance and real estate businesses.  Jean and Haig married in 1951 and enjoyed their early years skiing, dancing and building a life together.

Early home life  on Long Island  was a busy one with their four children, Holly, Laura, Debbie and Paul.  The family was an active and lively one.   Jean was a stay at home mother who cared for the family yet still found time for her art which was painting.  Jean was also talented in sewing and made all of the girls’ clothes (and what a lot of ironing there was back then).   Dinners were always together at the dining room table where laughter and conversation took place and with four kids, it was often loud.  Saturday mornings were piano lessons much to the dismay of the kids who wanted to know “why can’t we watch cartoons instead?.”     Summers were spent sailing together and in winter, there was always that day of work on the sailboat handing Haig screwdrivers or whatever else he needed.  It was a true time of togetherness.   But change was coming as skiing in Vermont became the next phase of family life.

Vermont became home with a move in 1973 on a whim and dream of Haig’s to once again own a hotel, restaurant and nightclub.  The family packed up and Jean held the fort down in New York selling their home and getting ready for a new life of the ski business.   While Haig kept promising he wouldn’t tear down any more walls at their hotel; that never seemed to happen.   There was always a project yet there still there was time for skiing.  A few years later, Jean and Haig reached another dream when they had built their sailboat, Thunderhead.   That dream took them sailing for six months each year.

The family grew over the years with Lillian Kollar,  Nils Lofstad and Dwight Baker finding their way into the hearts of Paul, Laura and Debbie.  There were also the four legged family members from Schatize to Tucker to Woody,  and on.  Jean and Haig were blessed with grandchildren----Katelin Baker, Kendra, Kyle and Christopher Bogossian.   While distance made it a struggle for all to get together, there was  always the friendly answering of the phone by Haig, “Hello this is Luigi’s.”   We were all blessed to have known and love Jean and Haig.

 A celebration of life for Jean and Haig will take place at 4:00 Pm at the Glick Funeral Home in Boca Raton, FL on Tuesday, January 8, 2018.  Another celebration and final resting place will occur in Vermont at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company, 703 Main St.,  Weston Vermont 05161 or on line at www.westonplayhouse.org

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