A funeral service will be held Friday for Mr. Hovnanian, 80, who never stopped striving to make the world a better place for his family, the Armenian people and the underdog. The Iraqi-born Armenian American died after collapsing at his Mount Laurel residence that day.
The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Gregory's Armenian Apostolic Church, 8701 Ridge Ave., Philadelphia. Friends may visit at 9 a.m. Friday. Burial will be in Lakeview Memorial Park, Cinnaminson, N.J.
Mr. Hovnanian, who lived the American dream and helped others do the same, founded the home-building firm J.S. Hovnanian & Sons of Mount Laurel, N.J., in 1964.
On Aug. 4, Mr. Hovnanian's firm completed a house in 96 hours for ABC's television show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The Pennsauken home was built for Victor Marrero and his five sons. The Marrero family had been featured along with three other Camden families in an ABC 20/20 documentary in January about children growing up in poverty.
"Mr. Hovnanian gave me and my sons a lifeline. I will love him all my life," said Marrero. "He was quiet and always in the back. He was not a showoff. He told me 'I know you and your boys will be all right.' He threw so much love at me."
"My grandfather inspired others and was happy to help the Marrero family," his grandson said. "He was thrilled when our company was chosen to build the house. We tried to keep him out of the heat by bringing him to the site at night when it was cooler. But he was there when they moved the bus and when the Marrero family first saw their new home."
