John Zorabedian

John Zorabedian of Doctor’s Inlet passed away in Jacksonville FL on April 26, 2018. He was 90 years old.  He was predeceased by his wife Marion in 2010. He is survived by son John Jr. and daughter-in-law Lee of Massachusetts, son Paul and daughter-in-law Pei of California, and sister Betty Zorabedian Rawlinson of California. John was born on September 27, 1927 in Warwick, Rhode Island to Hagop and Agnes Zorabedian. John’s parents had both emigrated to the United States from Turkey in order to escape the genocide of Armenians in that country during the early years of the twentieth century. Hagop supported a large family by working at a number of jobs including farming, raising chickens, and operating a small variety store. The financial struggles his father endured throughout his life greatly affected John’s own work ethic. After graduating from Gorton Senior High School in Warwick and serving in the U.S. Army at the end of WW II, John forewent college in order to avoid placing further burden on his parents and went to work at the Davisville Seabee Base and later at Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island. He also worked a second job as a chef at The Great House restaurant in Warwick. In the early 1960s, the Navy sent John for training in computer programming. Throughout the ‘60s and early ‘70s he worked long hours in the computer field at Quonset Point and also travelled frequently to work on data processing projects at other Naval Air Stations around the country. With the deactivation of Quonset Point NAS in 1974, John was transferred to NAS Jacksonville, and he and Marion built a house in Doctor’s Inlet, where they lived for the remainder of their lives. Throughout his career John rose steadily in civil service rating. By his retirement from the civil service in 1994, he had attained the grade of GM15 and the title of Senior Manager and Technical Director, with some 400 people reporting to him. John was an avid golfer. He held memberships at Eagle Harbor and Orange Park Country Club. For several years after retirement from civil service, he worked part time as the grounds and maintenance supervisor at OPCC until Marion’s health declined to the point where he devoted himself to her care. John loved dogs and over the years had several long-lived canine pets that he doted on. He loved gardening and later in life raised prize orchids. He was an accomplished carpenter and all-around handyman. He was widely known in Clay County and beyond through his work, golf, and gardening activities.

The family will receive friends at 10:00am on Tuesday, May 1, 2018 in the Broadus-Raines Chapel and funeral services will begin at 11:00am with Dr. Tim McDaniel officiating.  Burial with military honors will follow at the Jacksonville National Cemetery at 1:30pm.