Colonie - Armen Renjilian, at the age of 88 died peacefully Friday December 22, 2017 at TRU Care Community Hospice in Boulder, CO with his beloved sons at his side. Born Movses Armen Renjilian August 30, 1929 in Athens Greece, he was the son of the late Reverend Mirhan Renjilian and late Virjin (Giragossian) Renjilan, brother to Anne (Renjilian) Kalfayan and the late James Renjilian. Armen immigrated to the United States accompanying his father and sister as passengers sailing aboard the “Nea Hellas” which arrived at New York’s Ellis Island December 18, 1939. The family would reunite to continue their new American journey together when Virjin and James arrived separately April 6, 1940 aboard the “Saturnia.” They eventually settled in Troy, NY where Armen graduated from Troy High School Class of 1948. Soon afterward, he attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology in 1952. He was a proud brother of the Sigma Chi Delta Psi Fraternity. It was while attending a Sigma Chi social gathering that he met and soon married his beloved wife of 62 years, Lois C. McDonald (predeceased).
Armen was drafted to serve as Private First Class in the U.S. ARMY during the Korean conflict and was assigned to an Army research laboratory in Utah. His first job after being honorably discharged from military service was working at the Albany Veterans Hospital to perform research while he completed his Master of Science degree in Chemistry from RPI in 1959. Later, he worked for Olin Mathieson Chemical Company in Lockport, and BF Goodrich in New Jersey, before returning back to the Albany area to work for the Albany Felt Company; where he built a long-storied career and reputation as a highly gifted chemist.
After retiring from his position as Manager of Material Research at Albany Felt in 1989, he started a successful and rewarding consulting practice based upon his paper making expertise and unique insight related to improving production processes for paper manufacturers across the globe. He held six registered patents with the U.S. Patent Office and ran a business named Kolex Filters, based on one of his patents, from his garage where he could often be found winding filter cartridges in his spare time.
Armen held a lifelong passion for trading in the stock market. He enjoyed music, played the harmonica, sang boldly, and was always the first one on the dance floor. He had a special way of touching the heart of anyone with whom he’d encounter and will be sorely missed by his family, many dear friends, and neighbors.
Above all of Armen’s many accomplishments, his greatest treasure was his family. He was the loving and devoted father of Richard Mirhan (Donna) Renjilian of Gurnee, IL; Ronald Armen (Janet) Renjilian of Lafayette, CO; Robert James (Susan) Renjilian of Whitehouse Station, NJ; Randall Herbert (Megi) Renjilian of Silver Spring, MD and the late Deborah Lou (Stephen) Kwiatoski of Highland, NY. He was also the adored grandfather of ten grandchildren – Jennifer (Jenna), Rebecca (Becca), Ross, Rachel, Blake, Carson, Emily, Caroline, Nikola (Nik), and Max.
The funeral service will be Friday January 12, 2017 at 10:00 AM at the Bowen & Parker Brothers Funeral Home on 97 Old Loudon Road, Latham. Interment will follow in the Gerald B.H. Solomon-Saratoga National Cemetery. Relatives and friends are invited and may call at the funeral home on Thursday January 11, 2017 from 4-7 pm.
In lieu of flowers, and due to cemetery restrictions, contributions would be appreciated to the American Diabetes Association by Mail: Made payable to American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 15829, Arlington, VA 22215, or online: http://www.diabetes.org/donate/

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