Diana Soorikian

Diana Soorikian passed away on June 6 at the age of 96. Daughter of Anna and Levon Tashjian, she was born and raised in Philadelphia, part of a loving extended Armenian family. She was an artist from the very start, a passion she inherited from her mother and never lost. Diana attended the Philadelphia School of Industrial Arts, graduating with a degree in Education. After her marriage to Levon Soorikian, the newlyweds moved to Fort Eustis, VA, where Levon served in the Army during the Korean Conflict. Diana worked for the Army as a graphic artist, while Levon taught Logistics to enlisted men. Diana was forever proud of both her top secret government clearance and her service to her country.   After the service, Diana and Levon settled in Northern New Jersey and started a family. And that’s when Diana really started painting, producing a large body of work while raising 3 children. While she excelled at beautiful watercolors and exquisite portraits as a supremely skilled painter, Diana truly found her artistic vision by digging deep below the surface, exploring dark emotions with large, vivid, often unsettling painted canvases.  Diana returned to school in her 40’s, getting a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from Columbia University. She was a professor for more than 30 years at Fairleigh Dickinson University where she taught Art History, Painting and Cultural Arts until the age of 90. Through it all she continued to paint, winning awards and grants and showing her work around the world. Diana’s paintings were last featured in an exhibit at Riverside Gallery in 2023, a testament to her irrepressible artistic spirit.  Diana was a natural teacher, always exposing her children and her grandchildren and her students to new ideas, no matter how unconventional and avant garde. She had great enthusiasm for artistic expression and always encouraged the creative journey.  Her mantra was “never erase the lines.” Tough and independent, it was important to Diana to remain in her home of almost 60 years. During the last year of her life Diana was blessed to have the loving care and companionship of Berni and Miriam to help make this possible. The family thanks these amazing ladies with great love and appreciation. Diana is survived by her children Anne (Michael) Bonadies, Andrea Soorikian, Matthew (Karen) Soorikian, her grandchildren Nick, Joe (Emily) and Tony Bonadies, Williejane Dent (Matt Aquilina) and Lee Soorikian and her great grandchildren Henry and Nora Bonadies. Diana is predeceased by Levon, her husband of 66 years, and her granddaughter Emma.

 In Diana’s memory, the family would appreciate donations to: The Emma Soorikian Memorial Fund https://decatureducationfoundation.org/emma/