SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA — Dr. Arek Leon Sarkissian died on Christmas Eve 2025, surrounded by his children at the Valleywise Medical Center in Phoenix. He was 90 years old.   Dr. Arek Sarkissian was born Aug. 1, 1935, in Tehran, Iran, the son of Genia and Levon Sarkissian. Arek was born the first of two children. Younger sister Annie passed away earlier this year in Tehran. Arek arrived in New York in 1961 from Iran after receiving the highest marks among hundreds of medical students in Tehran. He began medical training at St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan and he completed his residency at Wayne State University in Detroit in 1968. After his training was complete, he received his medical license and board certification in neurological surgery in 1973.   During this time, he also proudly achieved his US citizenship which he was very proud of.

While training in New York, Dr. Sarkissian met a nursing student named Irene Ann Brett and they were married in 1968.  They settled in suburban Detroit where together they had five children; Janet, Ivan, Stephanie, Greg and Arek II, who they raised in in Bloomfield Hills, MI.

He saw patients at the former Annapolis Hospital and Heritage Hospitals before becoming a neurosurgeon on call at the former Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn, MI. By the 1990s, Dr. Sarkissian had encountered thousands and thousands of patients saving many lives and earning a highly praised reputation. When Dr. Sarkissian’s wife passed away in a car crash in 1982, he became the sole caretaker for their five children. Despite his demanding career, he still found time to be with his kids, from family dinners to annual beach vacations. His mother, Genia, emigrated from Tehran to help with the kids and stayed with him until she passed in 2010. in 1998, Dr. Sarkissian retired from neurosurgery and moved to Tucson to be close to family.  Once retired he spent summers in Sea Island, Georgia where he loved to read and lounge on the beach. He spent his last years sitting on his patio enjoying the view of Camelback Mountain and people watching at the Scottsdale mall. Arek recently declared one of his greatest achievements was his children; all with college degrees, successful careers and happy families. His kids in turn gave him 16 amazing grandchildren, who he adored and doted on whenever possible.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Meldrum Mortuary 52 N Macdonald Mesa, AZ 85201 on Saturday, January 10, 2025 at 2:00pm. Please join us in celebrating what a great man, life and legacy Arek gave us to cherish and hold in our heart forever.