Armina Hastings, 53-Year Resident

Armina Hastings, a Pacific Palisades resident since 1952, passed away on May 24 in Santa Monica. She was 84. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Armina loved to go to dances in Manhattan as a young woman, and later would fondly recall how she led the conga line at the Essex House. She met Norry Hagopian while on vacation in the Catskill Mountains. The couple married during World War II and ended up in California where Norry, an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard, was stationed in San Diego. After the war they moved to Baldwin Park. Norry, a chemical engineer, began his career in the plastics industry and legally changed his last name to Hastings when he went into business. They had two children, Michael and Norene. In 1952, the family moved to the Palisades and became active in St. Matthew’s Church. Armina loved the community, knew many of the local merchants and enjoyed walking from her house into the village or down to the bluffs overlooking the Pacific ocean. In the 1960s, Armina served on the board of the Armenian Allied Arts Association and in the 1970s, she worked for five years at UCLA’s Neuropsychiatric Institute. During that time she also earned a certificate in management from Mt. St. Mary’s College. Armina was highly intelligent and had little patience for the routine and prosaic parts of life, as she had a great zest for fun, adventure and learning. She was a gregarious person who continually took classes, joined organizations and traveled. She loved literature and music, and enjoyed going to concerts and the theater. An excellent cook, she loved to experiment with new recipes. Armina was also quite athletic and enjoyed playing tennis with her friends in the Palisades until she was into her 70’s. When traveling, she loved to explore new cities and countries and went on a number of trips to China, Europe, Canada and Mexico. She also enjoyed cruises to the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Scandinavia and the Panama Canal. A creative person, Armina loved to laugh, entertain and tell stories. She knitted, was an excellent writer and speechmaker, and discovered an affinity for acting later in life, performing in a number of Santa Monica Emeritus College stage productions. After acting, her next venture was learning to play bridge. She took classes and enjoyed playing in her weekly games. In 1992, Armina was diagnosed with breast cancer, which she battled with her typical courage and strength. After treatment, she was cancer-free until 1998, when she was diagnosed with metastatic cancer in her bones. At the end of 2003, Armina was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalous (fluid on the brain). Treatment was unsuccessful and the last seven months of her life were spent at Brentwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Santa Monica. It was there that she passed away peacefully with her daughter at her side. Armina was preceded in death by her husband Norry and son Michael, and is survived by her daughter Norene of Pacific Palisades and sister Alice Mouradian of Fowler. Donations in Armina’s memory may be made to the Memorial Fund of the Parish of Saint Matthew, 1031 Bienveneda, Pacific Palisades, CA, 90272, or the Ararat Home of Los Angeles, Inc.