Harold Armen Nizamian's Obituary
Harold Armen Nizamian, a man beloved by all, passed away at the age of 94 at 8:05 AM on July 25th, 2023, surrounded by close family, at his home of many decades in Palo Alto, California.
Harry was born on October 5th, 1928 in Philadelphia, PA. He is the son of Paul and Mollie Nizamian, who escaped the Armenian Genocide and started a new life in America.
Harry was in foster care during the Great Depression with his siblings and subsequently reunited with his Father and moved to California.
Drafted into the Army in 1952 during the Korean War, he was sent to Germany as a French interpreter. Mastering the German language, he met his first wife Gelda, and was honorably discharged as a Sergeant in 1954.
He worked 3 jobs while attending UC Berkeley, and majored in International Business in the Class of 1960.
Beginning his career as a traveling salesman selling toys for R. Dakin Co, he soon led the company’s drastic transition from selling guns to soft animal toys instead. As Vice President, he steered the company through the tragic death of most of the founding Dakin family in 1966. As chairman, CEO and President from 1966-1990, he led the dramatic expansion of the company, growing its annual sales from just $3M to over $240M. For developing the distinctive line of sleepy-eyed Garfield plush toys which were ubiquitous in the 1980s and 90s, he earned the nickname “The Father of Garfield.”
A fluent speaker of 7 languages, Harry spent decades conducting business around the world. On a business trip in Japan he met his second wife, Fuji, whom he married in 1965. From Antwerp to Tokyo, he built bridges and made lifelong friendships. He received commendations from the government of Korea and was one of the first people to ride the Shinkansen in Japan while attending the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
He married Kasie Cheung in 1987 and became a father of two boys, Andrew in 1990 and Dustin in 1992. Over the next two decades he would become a father to many others. He adopted Emily and Sonia Chim in 1988, Hoki Luk and Gary Luk in 1994 and Clinton Cheung in 2005. To many more he was “Uncle Harry,” including his nieces Susan Silverstrom, Jackie Clore and Debbie Nichols. Harry would go to the greatest lengths to protect and provide for the ones he loved, and never missed a graduation, birthday, performance or soccer game. He would drop everything and drive 100 miles to pick up a limited edition Pokemon, just to bring a smile to your face.
A pillar of the community, Harry became famous for performing pushups for every point scored by his son Dustin’s high school football team at raucous Friday night games, and was also a devoted member of Wesley United Methodist Church. He loved mugging an audience with Winston Churchill jokes and dancing on tables wherever he could. He lives on through the family and friends mentioned here, and countless others.
A celebration of Harry’s incredible life will be held at Skylawn Memorial Park in San Mateo at 1pm on Tuesday, August 1st, 2023. Please see this link to RSVP: https://forms.gle/sAztx7h2hmsRUwUY7
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