Gary Kalpakjian, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather, died on April 21st, 2015 in Gulf Stream Florida.
Born in Constanza, Romania in 1927 to loving Armenian parents Mihran and Nevart Kalpakjian, the family including his brother Henry left Europe in 1937 and came to America. They settled in Brooklyn, where he met Helen Hartigan, whom he married in 1950. He graduated Brooklyn Technical High School and enlisted in the US Navy at the outbreak of World War II, but after losing his brother in the war he completed his service in Jacksonville Florida. Gary started his first successful food business selling sandwiches over the fence at JAX naval air station to fellow servicemen. This began a period of great entrepreneurial invention and success. After leaving the Navy, he and Helen started a family and soon settled in Dix Hills Long Island. There, Gary pioneered a home frozen food delivery service named Thrift-Pak, and over the next 30 year he expanded the business nationwide as Colorado Prime, eventually earning a public listing on New York Stock Exchange. His foresight in combining convenience and quality with home delivery anticipated many current trends proving itself far ahead of its time.
In addition to being a brilliant and creative businessman, Gary was a warm and charismatic human being with a great sense of humor who loved food, wine, and social gatherings with family and friends. He believed in and lived the American Dream with the love of his life Helen and their three children Lydia, Gary, and Craig. He enjoyed his success in true style, pursuing his passions for art and architecture, including commissioning the great post-modern architect Robert Venturi to build a family home in Glen Cove, New York in 1983.
He is survived by his wife Helen Kalpakjian and his three children Lydia Kalpakjian-Cox, Gary Henry Kalpakjian, Craig Mihran Kalpakjian; his three grandchildren Robert Mihran Cox, Lillian Brinton Cox, David Kalpakjian Cox; and great grandson Ethan Sebastian Cox.
Visitation will be held on Saturday April 25th from 5pm to 7pm at Lorne and Sons Funeral Home, 745 NE 6th Avenue (Federal Highway, Northbound), Delray Beach, FL 33483. Entombment will take place on Sunday April 26th at 1:15pm at the Boca Raton Mausoleum, 451 Southwest 4th Avenue, Boca Raton, Florida. In lieu of flowers contributions may be sent to Catholic Charities USA .