Fresno State News

Lucy Mirigian, who was believed to be the oldest living Fresno State alumna, died Feb. 12 at her home in San Francisco. She was 114.

“We send our sympathies to Mrs. Mirigian’s family, including her great-nephews and their children, who live in Fresno,” said Jacqui Glasener, executive director of the Fresno State Alumni Association. “We are proud that she attended Fresno State decades ago.”

According to the Armenian publication Panorama.am, Lucy Sarkisian Mirigian left her home in Armenia in 1910 as a 4-year-old, riding on the back of a donkey. She crossed the Atlantic on a boat, made her way to Fresno, and attended Fresno State.

In San Francisco, she raised a family, taught Sunday school, served as a PTA president and for many years she worked as an assistant at the U.S. Mint in San Francisco. She retired about 60 years ago and had a second career making elegant, elaborate sculptures from beads and wire. Her husband of 40 years, Ashod, died in 1998.

She will be buried in the Ararat Armenian Cemetery in Fresno. A memorial celebration will be held when the pandemic permits.