George C. Ekmalian, Jr.

George C. Ekmalian Jr., age 78, died peacefully on Thursday, October 9, 2025 at the Veterans' Home in Holyoke surrounded by his loving family, after a courageous battle with dementia. Born in Springfield on June 30, 1947 to the late George and Frances (Mayberry), George was a lifelong resident of Springfield. He was proud of his Armenian American heritage and of his St. Mark’s Armenian Church community.

George was honored to serve his country, first serving as a sailor in the U.S. Navy from 1966-1968, enlisting at the young age of 17. He was assigned to the USS Salamonie and deployed to Vietnam as a corpsman and received an honorable discharge. Later, from 1977-2008, George served in the US Army, embracing an impressive 34-year military career. Starting in 1977, he served in the CTARNG Aviation Company D 2/126th, where he became Crew Chief on a Bell UH-1 Huey Helicopter. He served as an Active Duty Training NCO until 1991. He then transferred to a full time position at Camp Hartell where he served at the Combined Support Maintenance Shop as the Lead Automotive Inspector for the state. He served in the 712th Maintenance Company, where he rose through the ranks to become E-8 1st Sergeant, before retiring in 2008.  George volunteered as a member of the color guard for over 10 years and was a lifetime member of the Elks Lodge # 61 in Springfield, and the VFW Post # 7352 as Post Commander.

George will be sadly missed by his loving wife and best friend, Marlene Ekmalian who he was married to for 56 years.  Additionally, he leaves behind his children, Keith Ekmalian of Springfield, Joseph Ekmalian, and his wife Kathleen of Longmeadow; his 4 grandchildren, Vincent, Nicholas, Anthony and Paul; a nephew, Eric Arena and nieces Lisa and Joanne Cerrone, along with other extended family members and friends. George was dedicated to his family and was always hardworking and a source of strength for his family and friends.  

The family would like to extend their sincere thanks to the Veterans' Home in Holyoke for their exceptional care over the last 6 years. We appreciate the genuine compassion and care the staff provided for George during his stay there. They always had a way of keeping us in good spirits during this difficult time.

Visitation hours will be held on Tuesday, October 14, 2025 from 4-7 pm at Nowak Funeral & Cremation Services, 15 Ludlow Avenue, Indian Orchard, MA 01151.  The funeral service will be held Wednesday, October 15 at 11:00 am at St. Mark’s Armenian Church, 2427 Wilbraham Rd, Springfield, MA 01129.  A private burial service with military honors will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, it is the wish of George’s family that donations be made to the Veterans' Home, 110 Cherry Street, Holyoke, MA 01040 or to St. Mark’s Armenian Church, 2427 Wilbraham Rd, Springfield, MA 01129.

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