Michael Berberian

June 19, 1933 - January 31, 2023 Fresno, California

Michael Berberian, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle, died peacefully on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, at his home in Fresno, California. He was 89 years old.

Mike was born on June 19, 1933 in Fresno, California, to Mihran Berberian and Zovig Shapazian Berberian. He left Fresno to attend Menlo Boys Prep School as a boarding student and then went on to attend Stanford University, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity and graduated in 1955. Mike greatly loved his years in Palo Alto and for the rest of his life spoke fondly of his experiences, citing his time up north as the most significant influence on the course of his life. Returning to Fresno in order to take his place in the family businesses, Berberian Bros. and Berberian Ranches, Mike soon met the love of his life, Barbara Garabedian, at church and swept her off her feet when the couple eloped to Las Vegas on February 10, 1956. But as a 23-year-old newlywed with an unlimited future, life suddenly took an unexpected turn. Both Mike's father, Mihran, and Uncle Aram suffered fatal heart attacks within 12 months of each other. As the eldest child, Mike's destiny was set, and he became the family patriarch and primary caregiver.

Mike grew Berberian Bros. into a wholesale liquor distribution powerhouse throughout California and Nevada, ultimately negotiating the sale of the company to Youngs Market in 1987. After the sale, the family opened Berberian European Motors in Stockton, a Mercedes-Benz and Volvo dealership. In parallel, Mike transformed Berberian Ranches by expanding its footprint, converting all acreage to citrus, and personally investing, along with his brother Richard, as the seed investors in Bee Sweet Citrus, a Fowler packinghouse that grows and markets citrus around the world.

An avid reader, Mike would wake up every morning reading The Wall Street Journal and go to bed reading Forbes. He was a self-taught businessman with a love for stocks, technology, and aerospace. When Lockheed Aircraft was nearly bankrupt in the early 1970s, Mike followed his instincts and saw a tremendous opportunity with a once-in-a-lifetime risk/reward. He became the largest individual shareholder, joining the company's Board of Directors and participating in its turnaround and growth into the world's preeminent defense contractor, serving as director until 1990. In the 1980s, Mike's passion for high-tech and the Defense industry led him to invest in another public defense company, Stanford Telecommunications (a key inventor of GPS and microwave satellite communication technologies), where he served on the board until the company's sale in 1997.

Mike would say that his proudest achievements were the ways he gave back to the community. He was a benefactor of many local organizations including the YMCA, Fresno Rescue Mission, St. Agnes and Community hospitals. He particularly enjoyed giving back to the institution he loved, endowing at Stanford the Michael and Barbara Berberian professorship in the School of Engineering, held by former Secretary of Defense William Perry, who he worked with during his time as board director. He also supported Stanford Medical School, helping the few that would later help the many.

Mike was a respected mentor, businessman, and philanthropist. To many, Mike was a rock and voice of reason. His life's work was not about personal gain, but about a generous spirit that focused on the needs of those around him. A person who loved The Lord, Mike embraced a life guided from within by a clear mind, heart, and soul. He treated everyone with patience, kindness, and respect. His charm put a smile on everyone's face and his humble, modest personality made him easy to get to know. He taught us to live life one day at a time and to have no regrets. His sense of optimism gave us a feeling that no matter the situation, everything was going to be okay. He was a great listener, offering wise advice with his purposeful words. Though "no-nonsense", he knew just when to lighten the mood with his perfectly timed sense of humor. Mike went through life with grace, consistent and self-disciplined in his daily routine of mind and body exercise, and had a knack for "making it look easy".

Mike was preceded in death by his parents, Mihran and Zovig, brother Richard and nephew John, and son-in-law Keith Brown. He is survived by his wife Barbara; his three daughters, Susan Berberian Brown, Patricia Berberian, and Mary (Vasken) Guiragossian; his sister Barbara (Robert) Vartan; his seven grandchildren Michael, Adam (David Muse), and David Brown, Elizabeth and Alexandra Miller, John and Anna Guiragossian; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Mike will be forever remembered by his family, close friends, colleagues, and people he touched through his life. He always cared for his family and had a major impact on the Fresno community, Stanford University, and beyond.

A Funeral Service for Michael will be held Saturday, February 11, 2023 from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM at Pilgrim Armenian Congregational Church, 3673 N. First St., Fresno, CA 93726.

Flowers may be sent to Pilgrim Armenian Congregational Church - 3673 N. First St. Fresno, California, 93726

Donations may be sent to Pilgrim Armenian Congregational Church - 3673 N. First St. Fresno, California, 93726 or

Northwest Church, 5415 N. West Ave., Fresno, California, 93711

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.whitehurstsullivan.com for the Berberian family.