![Maureen Darvishian of Lake County, Calif., died on Tuesday, December 9, 2014. She was 81 years old. Courtesy photo. maureendarvishian](/images/maureendarvishian.jpg)
Maureen Harriet Darvishian
May 10, 1933 – Dec. 9, 2014
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Maureen Darvishian died at home Dec. 9, 2014.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, Harry Darvishian, deceased May 28, 2009.
Born in San Francisco, Calif., on May 10, 1933, to Daniel and Grace Tevis, Maureen was a child of the Great Depression and raised in the city. She remembered seeing the Golden Gate Bridge under construction and greeting her father, a laborer on the project, as he returned home from work.
But her life took a hard turn. By age 17, both her parents had died, leaving her alone and still in school. Her rescue was an invitation into a girlfriend’s family home, an act of generosity that allowed her to graduate from San Francisco Polytechnic High School.
She came to Lake County by way of Southern California, where she and Harry made their first home.
Maureen was famed for her kindness, even if she would have blushed at the notion of being kinder than anyone else. Still, she was mindful about acting kindly, and she worked to improve herself, although she was not incapable of expressing pique.
Sanctimonious, greedy or dishonest behavior always raised her hackles. So did misbehaving youngsters, especially early on. As a young mother, she marched more than one ruffian back to his own home, gripped firmly by the earlobe. She would later cringe when those tales were retold by family members or friends. Her incredulous grandchildren simply dismissed the stories as rank slander.
Maureen assumed the best in people but understood that no one is perfect. She was a loyal friend. She did not pry and she was not selfish.
After retiring from a long career as a nurse’s aid, Maureen volunteered as a mentor for girls with the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization.
She loved a road trip and visited some of the farthest corners of the West Coast, as well as many of its most cosmopolitan cities, usually with her great friend, Lois Thompson, who survives her, wishing they could have had one more adventure. Our hearts go out to her and her family.
We also send our fondest condolences to Nancy Sullivan, Maureen’s longtime workmate and friend, and her family.
Maureen is also survived by her children, Dan Darvishian and Lorie Cole and their extended relations; grandson, Brandon Cole and his wife, Heather, and their sons, Jesse and Jacob; Brandon’s eldest son, Tanner, and his mother and step-father, Jennifer and Norm Taylor, Norm’s son, Gage, and their relations; grandson, Lucas Cole and his wife, Amber, their son, Devin, and Amber’s daughters, Kaliegh and Taylor, and their relations; nieces, Janice Ebert, Penny Foster and Patricia Skolfield and all their families; and by a large host of wonderful neighbors and friends.
All of those who survive her will miss Maureen’s sly humor, her snappy retorts, her laughter, her compassion and the acceptance she offered to everyone who gathered in her circle.
The sun seems dimmed by her passing, but the world was improved by her presence.
A memorial gathering is planned, but at a time when the weather improves and everyone can enjoy an outdoor potluck. Maureen would have liked that.
For more information, please e-mail the family at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .