Louise Manoogian Simone, a prominent US-Armenian philanthropist, died on February 18 aged 85.
The news on her demise was reported by Ara Vardanyan a former president of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund
“This is an irrevocable loss for the entire Armenian nation.
“Ms Louise’s exceptional assistance is invaluable in the development of both Armenia and Artsakh.
“I am confident, the great philanthropist’s memory will always remain bright.
“I condole with all of us for this great loss,” reads his post on Facebook.
Louise Manoogian was born in Detroit, Michigan on May 19, 1933. Her father Alex Manoogian, an immigrant from Smyrna, founded Masco in 1929 and became wealthy after developing the one-handed faucet in the 1950s. Alex Manoogian was fifth president of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) and a philanthropist for Detroit civic causes and Armenian political and cultural causes.
She was on the AGBU’s central council for eight years before succeeding her father as its president. She organized AGBU disaster relief after the 1988 Armenian earthquake. In 1962, her parents established the Louise Manoogian Simone Foundation, which was later renamed the Manoogian Simone Foundation.[6] In 2007 it donated $1.2m to the University of Michigan’s Armenian Studies program. In 1979 Simone served a term on the Council of the Eastern U.S. Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the first woman in such a senior position. Simone and her brother Richard Manoogian contributed $2m in 2000 towards the construction of Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, Yerevan.