Former Waltham City Clerk Peter Koutoujian died suddenly at his Waltham home on Friday, January 16, 2015. He was 77. Peter was a son of Armenian immigrants and moved to Waltham as a child. He was a graduate of Waltham High School and Newton Junior College. After that he served with the United States Air Force.
Peter is survived by his wife of fifty-four years, Newton native Cornelia "Connie" (Cassidy) Koutoujian. They were both active in the Knights and Ladies of Saint Finbarr and the Eire Society of Boston, and supported many other Irish events and organizations. Peter was also the recipient of several local and professional awards for his commitment to local charities and organizations.
In addition to his wife Connie he leaves his children, Middlesex Sherriff Peter J. Koutoujian and his wife, Elizabeth Cerda, of Waltham and Maura F. Koutoujian of Chicago, Illinois; his cherished grandchildren, Peter, Cristian and Isabel Koutoujian; his sister, Mary Minasian and her husband, Hovannes, of Lexington and many nieces and nephews.
Peter met every challenge and opportunity with warmth and wit and a characteristic smile that quickly made friends out of strangers. He was the kind of a guy you were happy to see enter a room; whose genuine care and concern was quick to help solve a problem or to lift a troubled spirit. His longtime affiliation with Boston's Armenian-American community and ancestral history helped to shape his view of community and of government and how to make both better for those around him.
Family and friends will honor and remember Peter's life by gathering for calling hours in Waltham City Hall, 610 Main Street, Waltham on Wednesday January 21st, from 5 to 9 p.m. and again on Thursday in The Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main Street (Rte. 20), Waltham from 4 to 8 p.m. His funeral will be held from the funeral home on Friday morning at 9 a.m. before leaving in procession to Our Lady Help of Christians Church, 573 Washington Street, Newton where his Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow in Newton Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to the Armenian Heritage Park Foundation, 25 Flanders Road, Belmont, MA 02478 or online at www.armenianheritagepark.org
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