Avedis “Duke” Zobian, 86, of Union City passed away Thursday, May 15, 2025 at his home under hospice care, surrounded by his family.
In keeping with Duke’s wishes, he will be cremated. A military honors ceremony will be held at 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at Lighthouse Funeral & Cremation, 1276 Tate Trail, Union City, MI.
A memorial gathering will follow from 3:00-7:00 p.m., also at Lighthouse in Union City Wednesday, May 21.
Duke was born August 29, 1938 to Arakel Zobian and his wife Elmas (Sunukjian) in Detroit, Michigan. Duke was a retired photographer and world traveler.
Duke was married to his wife, Shirleyann Margaret (Howard) Zobian, on May 2, 1963. She survives.
He is also survived by their two sons, Allen Antranik Zobian and Matthew Arakel Zobian; grandsons, Alexander Avedis Zobian (Robyn Zobian (Miller)), Ethan Aram Zobian, and Luke Oliver Zobian; great-grandson, Aidan Avedis Zobian; and his brother, Antranik Zobian.
Duke graduated from Detroit Northwestern High School in 1955 at 17 years of age and went straight into the U.S. Army from 1955-58 as a nuclear ordinance assembly specialist, serving a tour in Germany during the cold war.
After his military service, he worked various entrepreneurial enterprises before taking a job at Eaton in Battle Creek and getting married. During this time, he developed a love of racketball and swimming; winning several competitions at Kellogg Community College in both.
He also developed a love of photography that would later turn into a profitable career.
Duke was a constant presence in Union City after moving his family there in 1974 to take up life as a gentleman farmer as a side hustle – with only a little assistance from kindly neighbors who got quite a laugh out of him discing his fields in anything BUT straight lines after acquiring his tractor and 50 acres.
He coached little league baseball and later became a professional photographer for Union City and Athens schools and both town’s youth sports programs. He also enjoyed tutoring mathematics at the Union City Middle School and manning the grill at Union City High School football games.
Even after retirement he maintained an active presence in the local community.
He later sold off the farm and retired to enjoy traveling the world with Shirleyann – something they had greatly enjoyed throughout their whole lives! Together they shared many unforgettable experiences in retirement, seeing the pyramids, Petra, the Great Wall, and even going to Newfoundland to take pictures of wild polar bears. They even managed to take their children and grandchildren on a few trips to Mexico and on a cruise.
An avid reader, Duke would delight his sons, and later grandsons, by reciting poetry he had memorized in middle school and high school and never read since. He was also a lifelong learner, never afraid of a new challenge. If he wanted to do something, he would learn how and do the job himself – building porches, sunrooms, installing electrical, or fixing cars and farm machinery.
He had a can-do attitude, and would always say “measure 3 times, cut once”, and any time someone would struggle in work or school and want to quit he would say “no such word as can’t”. He knew he could do anything he set his mind to, and if he could, so could you!
Duke loved food and was an accomplished cook, from grill master to traditional Armenian cuisine, if he liked it, he could cook it – and make it delicious! And he was always willing to help: more than once he gave rides or meals to complete strangers in need. For all of his occasional bluster, his good-hearted nature always won out. He will be dearly missed by all his family and his many friends.
But most of all, he loved his family and was always actively involved with his many nieces and nephews, and especially his grandchildren Alex, Ethan and Luke. He loved spending time with them on trips, helping with schoolwork and (especially) watching their sporting events.
Memorial contributions can be made to Union City Alumni Scholarship Foundation, P.O. Box 284, Union City, MI 49094.
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