Daniel G. Hovanesian of Somerville, passed away on May 9, 2025 at the age of 78.

Interment and military honors at Arlington National Cemetery will be held on Thursday, August 28, 2025 at 1:00PM. Those attending should familiarize themselves with the protocols, information can be found at:

https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Funerals/Attending-a-Funeral

Beloved husband of 48 years to Carol (Richardson) Hovanesian. Devoted father of Greg Hovanesian of Somerville and Alexis Hovanesian and her partner Andrew Vandamme of Mt. Pleasant, SC. Cherished grandfather of Adelaide. Dear brother of Susan Frye and her husband Ralph and Steve Hovanesian and his wife Anita. Uncle of Chris Frye, Janet Quora and Linda Irby Brooks. Brother-in-law of Nancy Rolf, Priscilla Irby and her husband George.

Dan was born on September 5, 1946, the second child of Diran and Araxy Hovanesian. He grew up in Watertown, MA, where he was the Senior Class President and a linebacker on the football team. Dan earned his Bachelor’s Degree at Boston University and joined the Marine Corps as a 2nd Lieutenant. He served in Vietnam from 1970-71, and he was awarded the Silver Star, two Purple Hearts, and the Bronze Star for his bravery. Shortly after leaving the Marine Corps, he moved to Lake Tahoe to be a ski bum at Heavenly Valley. Dan later returned to Boston, where he earned his law degree at Suffolk University. Dan met his future wife, Carol, while skiing at Mount Snow, Vermont in 1974, and in 1977 they got married. An accomplished attorney at law, for over 35 years Dan had a successful private practice as a lawyer in the Boston area, and in 1988 he was admitted and qualified as an Attorney and Counselor of the Supreme Court of the United States. One of Dan’s proudest moments was to play a pivotal role in the creation of the New England Center and Home for Veterans in Boston, which was partially funded by ‘Sketches of War’, a one-night theatre event that included the participation of Pulitzer Prize and Academy Award winning artists. Today the NECHV helps to equip Veterans who are facing or at-risk of homelessness with the tools for economic self-sufficiency and to provide them a path to achieve successful and dignified living.

Dan had a life-long love of nature and the outdoors, and he would often take his family on camping trips in northern New England. He loved fly-fishing for trout and salmon, and he had a passion for tying his own flies. In the mid-1990s Dan had the chance to go on a canoe expedition through the wilderness of Labrador, where he caught many brook trout and had a face-to-face encounter with a rogue black bear stalking his fishing party. Dan also loved fly-fishing for bonefish and tarpon in the Florida Keys. In the winter Dan loved skiing at mountains throughout New England, but his favorite places to ski were Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Vail, Colorado.

Dan also had a passion for cooking. He would often make wonderful Armenian dishes. Dan’s family also loved it when he made spaghetti sauce in the winter and blueberry pancakes in the summer. Food wasn’t the only thing Dan made in the kitchen: in the 1980s, Dan started making his own ‘homebrew’ beer as a hobby, and he continued doing so for over 20 years. Dan was also someone who loved to play board games: he grew up playing scrabble and cribbage with his family, he regularly played backgammon with his father, and later he developed a love for playing bridge.
Dan loved arts and culture. He loved music and dancing, and he would often go to live shows at Johnny D’s in Davis Square. Dan had a passion for photography and was rarely without his Nikon camera. He had the chance to grace the Silver Screen three times as an actor: The Spanish Prisoner (1997), State and Main (2000), and Spartan (2004). He enjoyed sports and loved watching the Pats, but he especially loved following and rooting for the B.U. Terriers hockey team.

More than anything else, Dan had an undying passion for life and people. He was a gifted storyteller and he captivated people with the exciting stories from his life. He had an incredible skill at making friends: anybody who knew Dan knew that he would talk with absolutely anyone, and that more often than not you would be considered a friend of his by the end of the conversation. Dan was also endlessly generous, always ready to share his time, wisdom, and warmth with those around him.

Funeral Services were held in May.

Interment and military honors at Arlington National Cemetery will be held on Thursday, August 28, 2025 at 1:00PM. Those attending should familiarize themselves with the protocols, information can be found at https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Funerals/Attending-a-Funeral

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to the Disabled American Veterans at http://www.dav.org, New England Center and Home for Veterans (NECHV) at http://www.nechv.org, the Michael J. Fox Foundation at https://www.michaeljfox.org, or the Parkinson’s Foundation at https://www.parkinson.org/.