Niraj Warikoo

Detroit Free Press

Ramela (Rosemary) Carman, believed to be the last remaining Michigan survivor of the Armenian genocide, died Saturday. She was 102.

A funeral was held today for her at St. John Armenian Church, where she was a longtime member. Her story of struggle and moving to America is echoed by many in metro Detroit, which has the largest Armenian-American community in the Midwest with several churches and cultural centers.

"It's a big loss for our community," Father Aren Jebejian, who delivered the eulogy for Carman, told the Free Press. "It's indescribable the loss. We've lost our connection with that past. It's now up to us to continue her legacy, and to continue the legacy of the Armenian people and the Armenian church."

Jebejian said Carman was not only a survivor, but "truly a woman of deep faith in God. She not only said that, but lived it."

Her prayer books had no dust on them, indicating she used them often, he said.

Last year at a church in Livonia, she attended the 100th anniversary of the start of the Armenian genocide, speaking to the Free Press about her memories and her parents' recollection.

Carman was just a small child during the genocide and pieced together what happened from her parents.

"I'm crying, I'm crying," she told the Free Press last year, recalling her parents' memory of how she acted as they escaped. At one point, Carman said her face had developed a sore that got infected, but was treated with the help of a Turkish woman who had taken them in.

About 1.5 million Armenians died during the mass killings that took place under the Ottoman Empire. The Armenian community has been asking the U.S. and Turkish governments to recognize the deaths as a genocide. In June, Michigan passed a law mandating that the Armenian genocide and Holocaust be taught in public high schools.

"Carman lived through a hell that no one should experience, yet, to this day, people still do," said John Zadikian of Dearborn Heights, who's active in the Armenian community. "Her loss is great within the Armenian community, and her legacy is formidable. She will be sadly missed."

Carman was born on April 7, 1914, to Mihran and Makroui Nushanian, according to a biography of Carman provided by Jebejian.

She came "from a family whose economic status was well above average because her father, Mihran, was a skilled tradesman, one who sewed shoes by hand for wealthy customers who could afford to pay," said the biography. "Ramela's father Mihran fled to many places to avoid being killed. On his travels to flee from the Turkish authorities, whose zeal was particularly aimed at the Armenian male population, Mihran visited his widowed mother-in-law."

"Mihran's visit was short because he was constantly looking for places to hide."

Metro Detroit Armenians remember massacre 100 years ago

When Carman was about 5, her father died from kidney problems in 1919. Her brother, about 3, then died from cholera.

The family moved to Istanbul because of the difficult life in villages. She worked as a ticket seller on the beach and sewing men's shirts. In 1960, she moved to the U.S. and married Masa Carman.

She worked at the Hagopian Oriental rug store, repairing rugs. After her husband died in 1995, she visited France and Turkey to see her relatives.

She enjoyed gardening, crocheting and making afghans for family and friends.

"She was a very pious woman," said Jebejian. "She was in church every Sunday until a couple of years ago when she was unable to come to church."

Carman is survived by relatives in Sarasota, Fla; Kent, Wash., Istanbul and France, said an obituary from Edward Korkoian Funeral Home in Royal Oak. She was sister-in-law of the late Edward Carman, Agnes Carman (Peter) Hovsepian, the late Harry (Rosemary) Carman and the late Margaret (the late Mardig) Hatcherian.

Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com or 313-223-4792. Follow him on Twitter @nwarikoo