For the days leading up to Father’s Day, we’ve asked our residents and families to share stories, pictures, and favorite memories of their dads, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers who live in our communities. We’ll be sharing them here on our website and on our social media channels in a series we’re calling: Oakmont’s Fantastic Fathers!
David and Rick wrote in to wish his father Ara, a resident of Oakmont Northville, a very happy Father’s Day and to share some wonderful memories of an incredible man:
On behalf of David & Rick K., our spouses and our families we would like to wish our Father Ara K. a Happy Fathers Day.
We couldn’t ask for a better Father, Grandfather and Great Grandfather. He always put his family’s needs ahead of his own. He led by example and raised us to be the same with our children and grandchildren.
Our father was born July 27, 1926 in Detroit Michigan. He served our country in the Army during WW2. After a brief stint working for General Motors he opened a Northlawn Cleaners in the City of Detroit. That is where he worked 70+ hours a week to support our family until selling the business and retiring. In his business he survived the 1967 Detroit riots and survived a serious injury when shot in a robbery of the cleaners.
He was also very mechanically inclined, learning to drive at 11 years old. He owned and restored his own cars at a young age. There is not any task he was afraid to try before Google existed. He did all his own maintenance at his cleaners including plumbing, electrical, welding, installing boilers, conveyors, commercial cleaning machines, washers, and dryers just to name a few.
He was also a very devoted husband to our mother over 60 years putting her needs ahead of his own.
Thank you for the opportunity to say a few words on behalf of our father.
David & Rick K.
