| This long obituary is taken from the collection in the Notebook of Long Obituaries. The original newspaper article can be found in the Blair Library, Genealogy Room.
3 newspaper articles
# 1 - - Published in Omaha World-Herald, December 27, 2005
HIGH SCHOOL EXCHANGE STUDENT FROM ARMENIA WAS A “SWEETHEART”By Veronica Stickney and Nancy Gaarder, World-Herald Staff Writers
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Romella Papyzan made it only a few feet before rolling the ATV she was riding Monday afternoon.
While still in the driveway of her host family’s rural home, Papyzan, 16, rolled off the edge of the drive and tumbled into a ravine, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s office. The vehicle rolled several times.
Papyzan, who was to return to her native Armenia this week after a semester as an exchange student at Arlington High School, died in the 4:25 p.m. accident.
A Bennington ambulance took her to Creighton University Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
Students and staff members said goodbye to Papyzan on Thursday, Arlington High’s last day before winter break. The assistant principal wished her well over the intercom, said Principal Lynn Johnson, and she received a certification of completion.
Papyzan made friends and did well academically at the school, Johnson said. She arrived in Nebraska in August.
“She was a really good student,” Johnson said, and “a vibrant, kind person…. She’s just a real sweetheart.”
About 75 students and 20 staff members showed up at the school this morning to talk to counselors about Papyzan’s death.
She was staying with a farm family that has a daughter of a similar age who attends Arlington High. The family did not want to be identified.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the accident occurred near 5498 County Road 23, which is southwest of Kennard.
# 2 - - from The Enterprise, December 30, 2005
ARLINGTON REMEMBERS EXCHANGE STUDENT ALWAYS WORE A SMILE
ATV ACCIDENT CLAIMS LIFE OF ARMENIAN GIRL
Romella Papazyan is remembered as a dynamic, spontaneous young woman who always had a smile on her face and who loved to dance.
Papazyan, 16, was killed Dec. 26, when the ATV she was driving went off an embankment and rolled. According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, the accident took place around 4:25 p.m. at the home of the family who was hosting her visit.
Papazyan was an Armenian exchange student who had studied for a semester at Arlington High School. She was slated to return home on Friday, and had said her goodbyes to classmates and teachers last Thursday, before the Christmas break.
On Tuesday morning, approximately 75 students, staff members and rescue workers gathered at the school, where they shared memories and tears.
Papazyan, students said, had a constant smile on her face, was full of life and always in a good mood. The only time they remember her sad was the last day of school, when she was bidding farewell to her friends.
“She was one of those kids who just fit in so well,” said principal Lynn Johnson. “She was so pleasant, and always had a smile. What I remember is that every morning, our paths seemed to just cross right outside my office, and she would always initiate a ‘hello’.”
Johnson said Papazyan, a junior, was grateful to others for assistance and insight.
“She never took anything for granted. She enjoyed people and she enjoyed life,” Johnson said.
She was a good student, Johnson said, but everyone agreed her true passion was dancing. Although she had arrived too late to become a full-fledged member of the dance squad, she had performed as a featured dancer with the dance team.
Johnson said Papazyan’s parents were flying to the area to take their daughter home.
# 3 - - Enterprise, January 6, 2006
MEMORIAL
ROMELLA PAPAZYAN
A memorial service was held Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006, for Romella Papazyan, 16, a foreign exchange student from Armenia who had been living in the Washington County area.
Memorials are suggested to the “Romella Papazyan Fund” at Washington County Bank, Blair, NE.
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