George Rustigian Obituary

George Aharon Rustigian
November 21, 1925-April 17, 2013
Resident of Lafayette
George Aharon Rustigian, 87, of Lafayette, California passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 17, 2013.
Visitation will be held at 7:00pm on Monday April 22 at Oakmont Memorial Park and Mortuary in Lafayette. The funeral service will be held on Tuesday, April 23 at 12:00 noon at St. Vartan Armenian Apostolic Church in Oakland, burial will immediately follow at Oakmont.
George was born in Sacramento, California on November 21, 1925 and was the youngest of four children. He graduated from George Washington High School in San Francisco and received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from University of California, Berkeley. He served in the Army Air Corp as a Cadet in WWII, and was shipped out to Europe to relief the 9th Air Force. He was stationed in Germany and France.
George was married to Carol Agajan on May 27, 1961; they were married nearly 52 years.
George worked as a civil engineer for firms including Brown & Caldwell. In 1962, he became co-general manager of his wife's family business, Caspers Famous Hot Dogs. During the four decades under his leadership, the business expanded and flourished. In 1981, SPAR Sausage Company was established to finally fulfill the dream of the founding partners to manufacturer their own hot dogs. His devotion to Caspers Famous Hot Dogs was witnessed in every way, establishing it as the iconic Bay Area brand it is today.
He enjoyed architecture, drawing in charcoal, golf, gardening, aeronautics, WWII films, and spending time with his family and friends. He was a godfather of St. John Armenian Apostolic Church in San Francisco, a board member of Contra Costa County Sanitary District, and a founding member of NorCal Armenian Home and Senior Services and Triple X Fraternity Mt. Diablo Chapter.
George is survived by his wife, Carol, of 52 years, his daughters Beth Broussalian (Jim) and Caroline Bruderer (Marc), and son Paul Rustigian (Chelsea), as well as grandchildren Melanie and Michael Broussalian; Nate, Luke and Mason Bruderer; Julian and Skylar Rustigian, along with numerous nieces and nephews.
George is preceded in death by his parents Aharon & Margaret (Demirdjian) Rustigian, brothers Aram and Barj, and sister Elizabeth.
In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be sent to St. Vartan Armenian Apostolic Church 650 Spruce Street, Oakland, CA 94610 or NorCal Armenian Senior Services, 1818 Gilbreth Road, Burlingame, CA 94010. Other details and information can be found at www.oakmontmortuary.com.