Moorad Mooradian passed away peacefully at his home in Fresno, California on June 26, 2025, surrounded by his family.

Moorad was born in Providence, Rhode Island, along with his twin brother Sarkis, on December 13, 1926, to Minas and Anna Mooradian.  The son of immigrants from Armenia, he grew up during the depression helping his mom and dad in their laundry and grocery business.  In school he loved drafting and mathematics.  When World War II started his dad went to work as a riveter at the Navy yard while he and his brother went to work at a munitions company making the shell casings for the 50-millimeter guns for the war effort.

Immediately following high school graduation, Moorad and Sarkis joined the army.  Following training in New Jersey and Georgia they were shipped to Fort Ord in California.  From Fort Ord the boys were shipped to the Philippines as part of the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign which was the staging force for the invasion of Japan.  Thankfully, the invasion did not occur.

Following the war and their return to Providence, they convinced their parents to move to California.  They chose Fresno because they all had friends in the area and began farming raisins with their father.   Moorad and Sarkis soon purchased a service station on Railroad Avenue adjacent to the original Hanoian's Market and named it Mooradian Shell Service.  As Fresno expanded and the new 99 freeway was built, Moorad and Sarkis moved their service station to Jensen and Freeway 99.  The brothers built a successful service station business that lasted over 50 years as well as a large farming enterprise that is still active today in the Fowler area.

Moorad met the love of his life, Varsanig Garabedian, at a dance at the Rainbow Ballroom in early 1953 and were married on June 6th of that year.  They soon built a house in Sunnyside and had two children, Michael (1954) and Karen (1956).  They were involved in all their children's activities including coaching and managing Michael's Little League team, going on family trips, fishing on the Kings River, snow skiing in the Sierras, and clamming in Pismo Beach, all while building a strong family life.

Moorad and Varsanig also enjoyed traveling with a group of longtime friends to locations such as Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, Japan, and England.  These were lasting memories they often enjoyed sharing.  Moorad and Varsanig also began playing golf and developed a life-long love for the game.  After Moorad retired from the service station in 1995, their time was spent traveling and playing golf. They made long lasting friendships with those who shared a love for the game.  Hawaii quickly became a favorite spot for them but playing a round at St. Andrews was a highlight for Moorad.  The two of them had found a pastime they could share in their later years.

Moorad and Varsanig were joined together as one, never leaving each other's side; theirs is truly a deep love affair from the moment they met and continues today.  Moorad and Varsanig recently celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary along with Varsanig's 99th birthday.

Moorad is survived by his wife Varsanig, his son Michael (Cheryl), grandchildren Nicole (Thraen), Gabrielle (Andrew), Alicia (Marc), great grandchild (Dashel), and his daughter Karen (Philip), grandchildren Jonathan (Donré), great grandchild Lucille, Sara (Ryan) and great grandchildren Madeline, Emma, and Caden.

Moorad is also survived by his brother Sarkis' children, Edward (Deanna), Thomas (Malia), and Margaret (Steve), and a number of grand nieces and grand nephews all of whom hold a special place in his heart.

Moorad was preceded in death by his brother Sarkis, Sarkis' wife Altoon, and his parents.

In lieu if flowers, donations may be made to St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church in Fowler, California.