His charitable work bound together generations of Armenian immigrants and provided thousands of people with an unexpected source of entertainment for more than four decades.

Raymond S. Amergian, probably best known for organizing popular fundraising dances hosted by the Portland Armenian Club, died Thursday at the Maine Veterans’ Home in Scarborough with his family at his side. The lifelong Portland resident was 89.

Additional Photos

During his 50th wedding anniversary party in 1999, Raymond S. Amergian dances with his daughters, Denise Ludka of Windham, left, and Sheila Carver of Winslow.

Twice a year, Mr. Amergian organized gala celebrations at the South Portland Armory that featured traditional Armenian dances and attracted crowds of more than 800 people. The fundraisers were held to raise money for refurbishing grave sites of Armenian families at the Forest City Cemetery and to purchase land there for Armenian families to bury their loved ones.

“He was a legend and a leader for the Armenian community,” said his son, Raymond R. Amergian of Portland.

Mr. Amergian was born in Portland, the son of Armenian immigrants Amervart and Araxie Amergian, who came to the United States in the early 1900s.

After graduating from Portland High School in 1942, Mr. Amergian joined the U.S. Army, where he served as a cook during World War II in the Army’s 89th General Hospital.

When the war ended, he returned to Portland. He met his future wife, Dorothy A. Hovnanian, at a cousin’s wedding. She lived in Massachusetts at the time, but after a long-distance courtship he convinced her to come to Maine. The couple married and operated three Portland-based Busy Beaver Market stores for a number of years.

In 1958, Mr. Amergian became a mail handler for the U.S. Postal Service. “It was steady, hard work that supported his family and their futures,” his son said.

“He worked very hard at the post office. He would get a call at 2 o’clock in the morning to come into work, and he wouldn’t hesitate,” added one of his two daughters, Denise Ludka of Windham. He retired in 1985.

It was during his vacations from the post office that Mr. Amergian accomplished some amazing feats, his children said.

He would use his vacation week to decorate the South Portland Armory with thousands of balloons in preparation for the Armenian club’s semi-annual dance.

“You’d walk in there and you couldn’t tell it was an armory. There were thousands of balloons everywhere,” his son said.

The dances, which began in the early 1960s in a small function hall, grew so popular that they had to be moved to the armory. A dance typically attracted 800 guests, all of whom prepaid for the opportunity to attend.

Mr. Amergian often took it upon himself to sell the tickets. “He sold every single table on his own,” his daughter said.

The highlight of the evening was when Mr. Amergian danced the traditional “Tumzada” with his wife and two daughters.

Ludka said the dance involved hooking each person’s pinkie finger with another person’s pinkie and kicking up their legs.

An Armenian band from Massachusetts performed, and guests would dance to traditional Armenian songs, which involved a lot of line dancing. American-style music also was provided.

In the late 1970s, the Armenian club dances relocated to the Italian Heritage Center and Elks Lodge in Portland. Those dances, which continued through 2000, benefited the restoration of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Congress Street.

“He enjoyed organizing those dances, he thrived on it. It was close to his heart,” his son said.

As Mr. Amergian grew older and his health started to decline, he gave up organizing the dances.

He and his wife, Dorothy, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1999. She died in 2008, a few months shy of what would have been their 60th wedding anniversary.

“You couldn’t ask for a better father or grandfather,” Ludka said.

“His family meant everything to him,” his son said.

Staff Writer Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:

dhoey@pressherald.com

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