Text und illustrations by Elena Shkulyova, the granddaughter of Perchanush Msryan-Oksuzyan. Translation by Alla Vronskaya.

Today I invite everyone to meet a person who is no longer with us but whose loving memory I keep in my heart—my grandmother, Perchanush Hambardzumovna Msryan-Oksuzyan. A civil engineer. A distinguished construction worker of Armenia. The head of the Department of Urban Planning and Development of the State Construction Committee of the Armenian SSR (1960-1970). Educator at Tamanyan Construction College (1970-1980). A member of the Union of Architects of Armenia since 1943.

She was a woman who went through the hardships of life retaining her spiritual kindness and inner light. She was a demanding but fair person, firm but not rigid, principled but not despotic. Young and old turned to her for advice, and she found the right words for everyone. She was an irreplaceable toastmaster at family celebrations, able to adorn any toast with a parable, an anecdote, and a poem. She knew poems by heart and could recite them so that your heart stopped. She was well versed in politics, and though she was not a member of the party, she occupied important positions. She was appreciated for her natural intelligence, quick reaction, professional flair, sense of style and excellent taste. She was trusted, and she justified the trust. As a child, escaping from the massacre of 1915, sitting on the roof of the train that took her and her mother to Gyumri, she swore that she would become an architect and design and build a house of her dreams. At the orphanage in Gyumri, where her mother worked, Perchanush learned to cut and sew, crochet and embroider. This came in handy later when she received the note of her husband’s death in the war and was left to take care of her two daughters alone, working during the day and knitting jackets for sale at night. A night–a jacket, a night–a jacket. And then the construction of the cherished dream house on the outskirts of town began. Wolves would come so close at night that the family was horrified to wake up to their long howl. Later Yerevan would grow, and the house would be in its center. Here is a sketch of this house, in which I also lived for twenty years.

Grandma remained dedicated to her hobby (sewing, crocheting, embroidery) her entire life. Whether she designed or taught, she always found time to create these projects. Our whole extended family dressed ,, à la Perchik” (her nickname)–that is beautifully, elegantly and with high quality. I have kept some of her work, and with great pleasure present them here. Enjoy.