A Well-Constructed Life

Lisa Jerejian, Tony Healey

As a Mason and a Shriner, Emil Menasserian (1937-2022) was a firm believer in the power of fellowship and community. He also recognized the importance of empathy and felt a sense of duty toward the vulnerable and those in need; after all, he himself had experienced loss at a young age. 

Menassarian was born in Tabriz, Iran to Syranoosh Arzumanian and Aghajan Menasserian, an accomplished businessman who specialized in import and exporting almonds to Russia, who passed away when young Emil was just seven years old. An only child, he was raised by his devoted mother, who went to France to learn how to sew to ensure her son was given the best start in life. 

While still a youngster, Menasserian and his family moved to Tehran. There, he felt part of the large and active community of Armenians. 

After graduating from Albor’s High School in Tehran, he took a job building roads in the desert. Despite the heat and physically demanding nature of the role, he made the most of the experience, forming friendships and learning how to speak other languages. A true polyglot, he became fluent in Armenian, Farsi, Russian, Turkish and English. 

Menasserian continued in the field of construction, first in Iran and then in the United States, where he immigrated in 1978 with his mother, aunt and cousins. During a period of immense turbulence and upheaval in Iran, Menasserian embraced the freedoms of a Western country. Putting down roots in Glendale, CA, he worked hard to achieve the American Dream. 

He supported himself and his family by purchasing several residential lots in Glendale and Pasadena, CA. Once the apartment blocks were constructed, he rented them out for at least a year before selling them.

His only commercial project was an automotive center. The space consisted of eight separate units in one long concrete building. By renting out the units to individual auto mechanics who owned their own shops, Menasserian generated healthy profits. He kept and maintained the center until his passing. 

Besides being a successful and highly respected businessman, Menasserian had a great passion for culture. He enjoyed the arts in all its forms: paintings, sculptures, philosophy, poetry, theater and books, particularly those written in Farsi. 

He was also an adventurer and avid traveler. Although he had visited Europe, Russia, Armenia, Cuba, Canada, Japan, Chili and Argentina and many parts of the United States, what he relished most of all was spending time in his native Iran. He spent a great deal of time there, exploring extensively, spending time with family and friends and reconnecting.

He was friendly, kind and humble to everyone he met. “On a personal level, I met Emil in 1985 while taking a night class on real estate law, as I was a realtor at the time. One night, as class was over, I walked out to my car and saw this man trying to unlock it with his key. I found out that we had each bought a new blue 1984 Volvo! He became a close friend for the next 37 years,” says Joyce Griffith, trustee for the Emil L. Menasserian Trust.

While Menasserian was unmarried and never had children of his own, he was a staunch supporter of children’s charities, such as the Shriner’s Hospital for Children and the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital. He also gave generously to an Armenian orphanage in Russia.

Upon his death in February 2022, Menasserian left the proceeds from the sale of his automotive center to three charities benefiting children in need: one of them is AGBU, which established an endowment in Menassarian’s name for educational programs. 

“Emil always felt empathy for those struggling and supported the idea of an organization that strived to assist those in need as well as sustain the arts and education. And that is why he so generously supported the AGBU,” says Griffith.