Louis Thomas Hagopian, 90, of Vero Beach and Darien, Conn., passed away at home on Jan. 9, 2016, after a short illness.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Joanne Kelly Hagopian; his daughter Susan Goddard and sons Thomas and Matthew; nine grandchildren; his sister Helen Geovjian; and more than 40 members of his extended family.
Hagopian thought himself to be one of the luckiest men in the world, with a wife and family who loved him and whom he loved dearly, parents he respected and adored and a career he both enjoyed and succeeded in beyond his wildest hopes. As the son of parents who fled to the US after their families were killed in the Armenian Genocide, he felt that he truly lived the American Dream and loved this country for it.
He served in the US Navy during World War II and graduated from Michigan State University after the war. His career started in the auto business, but his skills in marketing and communications soon led him to a successful career in advertising with the oldest agency in the US, NW Ayer.
He led NW Ayer for more than 25 years, including the last 10 as Chairman and CEO. During his tenure, Ayer was selected Agency of the Year and developed numerous iconic advertising campaigns with taglines such as A Diamond is Forever and Be All That You Can Be. He also was Chairman of the Advertising Association of America and a founding member of the innovative Partnership for Drug-Free America.
Hagopian was a man of style with an enormous heart, tremendous charm and a wicked wit. He loved to serenade his wife, Joanne, with Misty or My Funny Valentine whenever given the slightest excuse (and often without). An avid and excellent golfer for more than 70 years, he started as a caddy at the Pine Lake Country Club outside of Detroit and ended as a member of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club in St Andrews (where he won the Seniors Tournament at the age of 86).
Services will be held at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Darien, Conn., at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 16.
A memorial service will also be scheduled for friends and relatives in Vero Beach in the next several weeks. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a memorial donation be made to Indian River Habitat for Humanity, www.irchabitat.org.
Arrangements are under the direction of Strunk Funeral Home and Crematory, Vero Beach.
An online guest book is available at www.strunkfuneralhome.com.
