Grace Elise Arutunian

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beautiful Grace Elise Arutunian, who left us on February 4, 2025 at the age of 16. Grace was born on March 2, 2008, in San Jose, California, to Aaron and Cathleen Arutunian.

Grace was smart and competitive, and she relished academic challenges, especially chemistry and forensics. She was a wonderful artist and became quite accomplished in dessert decorating as well as sketching and painting. She also learned to sew, knit, and crochet. Grace was a voracious reader and would sometimes check out as many as 80 books from the library. She loved dogs and had a very special bond with her two golden retrievers, Sadie and Venus.

Grace liked the outdoors and enjoyed rock climbing, ultimate frisbee, and skateboarding. She went bouldering, hiking, and camping. She even learned to ride a unicycle. Her family loved Grace for her vibrant, quirky personality, and enjoyed her goofy humor, brilliant accomplishments, and ability to fully immerse herself in whatever interested her.

Grace is survived by her loving parents, Aaron and Cathleen Arutunian, her adoring brother, Ben, and her cherished grandma, Lisha Owen (Kathe Byrne). Her vibrant spirit will be dearly missed by her aunts and uncles - Leslie Arutunian, Katie Arutunian (Brian Dyer), Ethan Arutunian, Tim Finnegan (Teresa Brunkow), and Jim Finnegan (Linda McMahon). Grace leaves behind a host of beloved cousins, including Sean (Haley), Nick, Nicholas, Adèle, Patrick, Christopher, Simon, and Violet. 

Grace is preceded in death by her maternal grandparents, Jim and Nancy Finnegan, and her paternal grandfather, Ken Arutunian.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to Golden Bond Rescue (https://goldenbondrescue.com), an organization dedicated to saving and finding homes for retrievers (this is the organization from whom Grace’s golden retriever, Venus, was adopted.

In loving remembrance of Grace’s life, a visitation to celebrate her life will take place at White Stone Community Church (2517 N Dousman Rd, Oconomowoc, WI 53066) from 10:00AM to 12:00PM on February 22, 2025. A service is to follow. All are welcome. This will be a time for family, friends, and members of the community to gather, share stories, and honor Grace’s beautiful soul whose light will continue to shine in our hearts.