Ramela Carman, a longtime Oakland County resident and one of the world’s last survivors of the Armenian Genocide, has died at age 102,
Mrs. Carman was a treasured family member and devoted worshipper at St. John for many years, said Jeff Axt of Bloomfield Township, a cousin and Parish Council chairman.
“On top of that, she was a symbol of what the Armenian people have endured,” he said.
She was born April 7, 1914 in Yozgat, Turkey, and died Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016, with her family by her side.
Mrs. Carman, a former Pontiac resident, was believed to be one of only about 30 survivors worldwide of the event that resulted in the deaths of as many as 2 million people. She was the last remaining genocide survivor in Michigan.
As her family gathered to celebrate her 102nd birthday last April, Mrs. Carman reflected on stories that relatives told her about the genocide. She was too young to have horrific memories of it, but relatives told her that her father was one of the people whom the government forced to march off one day.
“He turned back,” she said, explaining that he wore disguises, changed his name, went into hiding — did whatever was necessary to stay alive. He later reunited with his family but died of kidney disease after just a short time.
Mrs. Carman recalled that even after the genocide “ended” in 1918, there was often different treatment for Armenians, who couldn’t ever predict how they would be received.
With her mother and grandmother, Mrs. Carman relocated from their small village to Istanbul. Her mother worked in a factory and her grandmother worked as a cook. By the time she was 16, both her mother and grandmother became too ill to work and she took responsibility for supporting them.
She worked in a factory and later bought a sewing machine and assembled men’s shirts.
In 1960, she came to the United States, marrying Masa Carman a few months after arriving. She taught herself English and was later hired by Hagopian to repair their Oriental rugs. Later, in retirement, she and her husband enjoyed traveling together.
After her husband died in 1995, she traveled to France and Turkey to visit relatives. She visited Turkey again in 2001.
Axt said she fell and broke her hip about six weeks ago, leading to a series of related health problems.