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Tavitian Foundation supervisor, businessman and philanthropist Aso Tavitian has passed away, the Facebook account of the Catholicos of All Armenian Karekin II reported.

“We are deeply saddened by the sudden demise of Aso Tavitian  - the great philanthropist, humanist, patriot, beloved friend of the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin and the Armenian people. His death is a great loss for the Saint Church and the whole nation,” the message read in part.

Business leader and philanthropist Aso Tavitian was born in Sofia, Bulgaria. After living in Beirut, Lebanon for two years, he immigrated to New York in 1961 as a Cold War refugee. The same year he received a scholarship to attend Columbia University. After receiving his master’s degree in nuclear engineering, Tavitian co-founded SyncSort Inc., one of the first software development companies that emerged after IBM unbundled its software, and served as its CEO from 1975 to 2008. The company played a pivotal role in the development of the software industry.

In 1995, Tavitian established the Tavitian Foundation which provides scholarships to students of Armenian origin and sponsors projects that focus on the development of the Republic of Armenia. In 2011, Prime Minister of Armenia presented Mr. Tavitian with the Moses Khorenatsi medal, recognizing the Tavitian Foundation’s important contributions to Armenia.

In 2017, For valuable contribution to the strengthening of Homeland-Diaspora ties, Tavitian received the Medal of Honor from the President of Armenia.