Aram G. Garabedian, Rhode Island Leader, Dies at 91
In memory of Aram G. Garabedian
Aram G. Garabedian, a prominent Rhode Island businessman and politician, died Oct. 30, 2026, at age 91 after battling Alzheimer's disease. A first-generation Armenian American from Providence, Garabedian rose to senior vice president at Nature's Bounty and later led Bliss Properties, managing commercial real estate including Warwick Mall. He served in the Rhode Island House and Senate and as Cranston City Council president from 2005 to 2008, championing education initiatives including kindergarten uniformity and vocational school funding. He also led efforts to establish Rhode Island's Genocide and Human Rights Education Law, requiring students to learn about the Armenian Genocide alongside the Holocaust and other atrocities. Garabedian was married to Jane Bliss for 69 years and had two children. Whipple Street in Providence was renamed in his honor.
