Antioch City Councilman Gary Agopian Passes Away Monday Morning

The family of Antioch City Councilman Gary Agopian announced Monday morning that the councilman has passed away after a hard fought battle with brain cancer.

Good Morning ~ Everyday the Lord provides us with the grace that we need. Today He will provide us with extra special grace because at 1:00 am the morning, Gary ~ my husband, best friend, and father to Heather, Corey, and Jason took his last breath. We have been blessed to have each and everyone of you share in this 10 month journey…you’ve shared your love through meals, gift cards, cards, phone calls, visits, housecleaning, prayers and so much more. We know that Gary is absent from the body but present with the Lord. We are so thankful for the love of Jesus!!!

Agopian announced publicly back in September 2013 that he had brain cancer and vowed to continue to fight while serving the people of Antioch. Agopian kept his promise making nearly every meeting and was honest with the public on a variety of issues–even when people did not like the information. He fought hard for the Measure C funds staying with code enforcement and the police department while ensuring the City continued to be frugal with its budget and spending during its budget sessions.

Agopian is a native of Los Angeles, but moved to Antioch with his wife and three children in 1995. He was elected to the Antioch Unified School District Board of Trustees in 2004. In 2010, he won a seat on the Antioch City Council.

It’s important to remember how hard Agopian fought and his promises kept during his September 2013 speech when he first announced to the public that he was battling brain cancer. He remained positive while putting his faith in god. His speech brought tears to many during that evening and wanted to share it again:

Many of you know that I have a brain tumor that was recently diagnosed. That is not good news in that regard, but there is great news in my life and the news is that he (God) has given me a gift, the gift of life that I never thought I would have and a gift I can share with you in ways in the next days I never thought I would have.

So I am embracing it and embracing what I have and what I have to go through and how I can be the man god wants me to be at this time. Some people will maybe try to give a take about what I am going through and that is okay we are all going to deal with it differently. I understand that.

It’s just important to know that I am committed to this community.  I am not stepping down, I am not giving up. I am not giving up on my life. I am not giving up on Antioch. I am going to do whatever I can to be the man that I should be for this city as long as I can and I am going to fight.

I am glad that you are here tonight, my friends are here, you are all my friends, together we can do great things, we should do great things. And to my colleagues, I want you to know how much I appreciate you from the bottom of my heart. I’ve enjoyed serving you I know you love me, I love you. Those might be funny words to say up here at the Dias but I know it and our hearts are right of what we want to do for Antioch together and it’s an honor to serve with you.

If we keep our heads on straight in the future, we do what is right for this city. We can leave a legacy that we can be proud of, one that can be honored; we would have done our job and cannot ask for more so that is what I am purposing to do and I just want to keep it short.

I have a biopsy on Thursday and we are going to know exactly what I have then they will start some treatment. You should know, this is not an easy one, its inoperable and treatment is really more for life duration. There really isn’t a cure.

But I am committed to doing everything I can to be the man that god wants me to be, my wife wants me to be, my family, and this community. So I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will try not to have this kind of speech every meeting, but I thank you for giving me the opportunity to share this with you.

Here is additional information on Councilman Gary Agopian which he provided during his run for City Council in 2010 which highlights his background.

Gary Agopian was born in Los Angeles, California on April 28, 1957 to the proud parents, Samuel and Nancy Agopian. He was the first of five children and as the oldest of three sisters and a brother, Gary became the role model for his siblings.

In 1975 Gary graduated with honors from Northview High School in Covina, California. In school Gary was an academic athlete, lettering in football, basketball, and track. He even earned the honor of being named to the All-League Honorable Mention football team.

After high school Gary attended Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California before transferring to Citrus College in Glendora. At Citrus College, Gary received his Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts in 1978, graduating with honors. Gary then enrolled in Azusa Pacific College where he earned his degree in Business Administration in 1980, again graduating with honors.

After college, Gary was accepted into the competitive National Management Training Program with Sears. He then went on to a successful career with Sears advancing in the organization over the next twenty-four years.

Among his numerous career achievements, Gary has received National recognition. Some of the most fulfilling positions he achieved at Sears included: Regional Merchandise Assistant Manager where he was responsible for buying and placing merchandise in stores through out the Southwest Region; Store Manager at several locations in the Bay Area and Arizona; and District Human Resource Manager where he was responsible for more than 3,000 Sears Associates in 18 stores. Gary has also worked for Sears in Window Fashions, a $250 Million dollar business, as their Corporate Sales Promotion Manager and was responsible for national marketing.

Gary completed his successfully retail career by managing stores for Best Buy from 2000 until 2003. In that year, Gary made a career change, moving into the real estate business with Coldwell Banker. As a Realtor, Gary has been recognized numerous times for his sales production. Gary continues in the real estate industry today.

One of Gary’s passions has been to help improve the community and quality of life where he lives. In 2003, the opportunity to serve on the Antioch Economic Development Commission became available. He was appointed and served for three years influencing commercial development that has brought good paying jobs to Antioch and the region.

Soon, in 2004, he was asked to run for elected office. After much consideration, Gary made the decision to run for the Antioch Unified School District Board of Trustees. He was elected and has been serving on the Board of Trustees for the past four years. On the Board of Trustees, Gary has served as Board Vice President and Board President.

It was Gary’s passion for improving his community that helped him to make the decision to run for the Antioch Unified School District Board for at that time the district was facing some very difficult challenges. Because of financial mismanagement, a fiscal advisor and a fiscal recovery plan had been established by the State and there had been Grand Jury reports on fiscal issues. In addition, School academic performance had slipped significantly and parents were concerned about the safety of their children both at and after school.

As a candidate for the Antioch Unified School District’s Board of Trustees, Gary set some high standards and goals. Through Gary’s leadership and ability to establish and excel in collaborative relationships, both on and off of the Board, those goals have been achieved. Today, the School District is no longer under care of a state appointed fiscal advisor and fiscal recovery plan and has been recognized as having the best fiscal record that is obtainable.

With Gary’s attitude that positive change comes from initiative, collaboration, and determination, the School District has established programs that empower parents and students. Dozier Libbey Medical High School and Delta Performing Arts Academy are just two prime examples of Gary’s vision and care for the future of our community. Both innovative schools opened for the fall session in 2008.

Integrity, honesty, and reputation were among the traits that inspired the “Character Counts” program of the School District. School uniforms, safety, and an environment that encourages children to learn garnered an overwhelmingly positive response from parents and community leaders. Gary’s willingness to do what it takes helped to ensure that the School District went from insolvency to excellence which prompted two of the district’s schools to be nominated as California Distinguished Schools.

Gary and his wife, Robin, have been married for twenty-three years and they have three children. Their daughter, Heather now attends Fresno State University. Their son, Corey attends Los Medanos College and Jason attends Deer Valley High School. When the busy Agopian family schedule permits, they enjoy camping, sports, and visiting the historic and scenic areas of America.

Gary and his family moved to Antioch fifteen years ago (Note – now 19), attracted by the community’s affordable housing and east county lifestyle. His desire to improve the quality of life for friends and neighbors has meant that Gary is always ready to serve.

Gary’s solid record of achievement and service make him the best candidate to bring change to the City of Antioch. Working collaboratively with the other council members while taking the initiative to improve public safety and protect home values, Gary will bring the same ethics, integrity, and honesty that turned around the School District to the City Council of Antioch “It’s what the people of Antioch deserve!”