Alice Keshian was a resident of Northvale, NJ dating back to 1961 when she purchased the home in town with her husband Charles Keshian. They discovered the house in Northvale from an advertisement in the NY Times soliciting buyers to the new development. Alice met her husband at an Armenian-American student association event in the 1950s. In 1957, they wed and resided in Charlie’s hometown of Paterson, NJ before moving to Northvale. Alice also briefly taught 3 rd grade in the local school district there.
Alice Keshian (Nishanian) was born on April 22, 1932 to parents Armen and Aznif Nishanian. They resided in Astoria, Queens with older daughter Virginia, who predeceased her. There are fond stories of the two sisters playing in the park underneath the Hell’s Gate bridge. Alice also has a younger brother Armen Nishanian who now lives locally in Westchester County, N.Y.. The family moved to Valley Stream, Long Island in 1939. Alice graduated from Central High School in Valley Stream in 1948 and obtained a bachelors degree from Hunter College (CUNY) in elementary education. After graduation, Alice worked at Guaranty Trust Bank in Brooklyn for a number of years.
Alice bore three children over the years, Brooke Ann Keshian, Allen Keshian and Paul Allen Keshian. She is survived by her son Paul A. Keshian and her brother Armen Nishanian, both of whom played active roles in her lifestyle in her later years.
Alice was a social spirit with different groups of friends from her upbringing in Long Island, to her Stonybrook Swim Club pool friends in Hillsdale, NJ to her myriad bridge groups in Cresskill, NJ, Tappan, NY and Oradell, NJ. She looked forward to playing bridge and credits the game to her health in her golden years. She learned the game from the neighbors that lived behind the house that subsequently moved away to North Carolina in the 1970s. She became quite proficient at the game. One of her partners commented that Alice was not afraid to “bid” aggressively upfront and that Alice & partner did indeed make the bidded hand on occasion! This partner liked that spirit about Alice; she played the game the right way, the way more seasoned players did in the country clubs. She attacked life that way as well. One time in Cancun she went parasailing as her husband Charlie watched meekly from the beach ( he did not like heights). She enjoyed Broadway plays and travelling all over the United States and World with Charlie in the 1980s and 1990s. She was an avid reader and she enjoyed books on all different topics. The books transported her to far-away places despite the fact that her body betrayed her in the later years.
Alice navigated the vicissitudes of life better than most and her inimitable good cheer did not go unnoticed by the people that both knew her and the challenges that she had faced at various stages of life. She had a unique wisdom that only life can teach over the years. The wisdom shed light on her joyous spirit which allowed her to both live “in the moment” as well as take a sincere interest in the lives of everyone she met. It is this calm demeanor that stood out. She never complained about anything or anyone. In her golden years, she lived her best life walking in the park, swimming, cooking, eating out, and participating in holiday events with the family as the elder stateswoman ( Easter, birthdays, Thanksgiving , Christmas). She was able to drive into her 90s and take care of herself into her 90s. She was fiercely independent. She was also able to converse with friends and strangers of all ages fluently (at the park, at the pool etc). She looked younger and she acted younger than her age. She lived on her own terms. She slept late. She ordered Scotch at restaurants and ate steak and ice cream in Piermont into her 90s. She walked around Lowes in the winter for exercise. She was innately social. She was lovely. She was a treasure to her family and friends and her indelible spirit will be missed. She lived a beautiful life.
Visiting hours are Wednesday, November 13, 2024 from 5 – 8:30 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Ave, Northvale, NJ. A Funeral Service will be held Thursday, 14, 2024 at 10:00 AM at Armenian Church of the Holy Martyrs, 209-15 Horace Harding Expwy, Bayside, NY. Internment will follow at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Maspeth, NY.
Those who wish may make a donation in Alice’s memory to Armenian Church of the Holy Martyrs, 209-15 Horace Harding Expwy, Bayside, NY 11364.