The Karate Institute of America is deeply saddened to share the news that Grandpa Shamassian, Hannah’s paternal grandfather, has passed on.
Our entire KIA family sends its deepest and most heartfelt condolences to all of the Shamassian family, especially Grandma Shamassian and the loss of her cherished husband.
Grandpa Shamassian, pictured in the wheel chair at Hannah’s Purple Belt test in July of 2016, was a loving, kind, gentle, intelligent, supportive, impressive human being—first class all the way.
How many individuals, confined to a wheel chair, would endure the discomfort and challenge of attending their grand daughter’s outdoor karate event? Personal experience teaches that many capable individuals forego supporting others even though they have no infirmities. Yet, Grandpa Shamassian’s grace and love for his family motivated him to be at his grand daughter’s Purple Belt test. Wonderfully admirable.
Grandpa Shamassian’s passing reminds us that life is fleeting and that birth and death are the warp and woof of the circles and cycles of life, a process each of us will experience, no doubt, and one which we will endure with grace if we focus on being balanced and centered in our own lives. And, hopefully, when we pass, we will pass on to our loved ones a legacy they will appreciate, honor and respect, just as Grandpa Shamassian’s family and those of us who knew and loved him, appreciated him for the enduring legacy he created.