John Ananaian

John Ananaian

 

    John Moses Ananian was a member of the Spring Class of 1963 at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco.

        He was born on February 27, 1946, in San Francisco to Christy Moses and Elizabeth Victoria (Scales) Ananian. His father was born in Armenia on September 14, 1909, and died on January 12, 1979, in Santa Clara County, California. His mother Elizabeth, was born in Long Beach, California, on February 15, 1922, and died on March 13, 1976, in San Francisco.

        John had two brothers and a sister born in San Francisco: Benjamin Frederick, born on July 27, 1947; Elizabeth Victoria, born on February 27, 1950, and David Hatchik, born on January 18, 1955. Benjamin graduated from Abraham Lincoln in the Spring Class of 1965, Elizabeth in the Fall Class of 1967, and David in the Fall Class of 1972.

        Benjamin did not marry.

        Elizabeth married Rodman N. Gibbs, and they had one child: Matthew.

        David married Diane Marie (Finnegan), who was born on December 27, 1955, in San Francisco. She graduated from Lincoln with the Spring Class of 1973. David and Diane had two sons: David Joseh and James Kevin.

        John attended McKinley Grammar School, Parkside Grammr School and Hoover Middle School before enrolling at Abraham Lincoln High School. John graduated with the Forty-fourth Commencement Class on June 11, 1963.

        The 1962-63 Roundup states the following about John Ananian: " . . .majored in Eng., science, lang . . . favorite class was English . . . remembers graduation . . . UC."

        John indicated in the 1963 Abraham Lincoln High School Roundup that it was his intent to attend the University of California. He did enroll at and graduate from the University of California, Berkeley. His major was anthropology. In addition to earning a baccalaureate degree, John acquired a teaching credential. However, he did not have the opportunity to teach because he was called into the Army.

        After completing basic and advanced training, he was assigned a Military Occupation Speciality Code of mortarman. He was subsequently ordered to the Vietnam Theater of Operations and assigned to the 4th Infantry Divison.

        He arrived in Vietnam on August 23, 1969, and was killed in action by small arms fire while engaged in combat in Pleiku Province, South Vietnam on September 30, 1969. At the time of his death, he was 23 years old.

        The Combat Area Casulties List, 1957-1986, Record of the Office of Secretary of Defense noted that he was a private first class and killed in hostile action in South Vietnam.

        John M. Ananian's name is engraved on Panel 17W, Row 20, on the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D. C.

        His remains were returned to the United States and interred on, October 19, 1969, in the Sunnyslope Lawn Section, Lot 1007, Grave #2, of the Santa Rosa Memorial Park Cemetery in Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California.

This page was last updated on June 13, 2019