It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Carl Eynatian, who left us on November 19, 2023. Born on August 16, 1948, Carl lived a life full of music and art, travel, and love.

Often tragedy and trauma forge our life story and character. Carl was a man of truth and personal integrity. Even before there was public support for LGBTQIA+ people, he came out to his parents. The family's best guess is that this happened in 1966, before the Stonewall Riots, generally considered the start of the civil rights movement for LGBTQIA+ people. It certainly was brave to be so honest in that time. There was no organized community support for himself or his parents: PFLAG woiuldn't exist until 1973.  The general belief of that time was that gay men were child predators, Carl's father, Vasken, could not have known any different. He would have been afraid for Carl, but also for Carl's brothers, who were children at the time. Vasken told Carl he was not welcome under his roof. Carl was also told he was not welcome by church leaders. Such strong rejection from family and community is hard to imagine, and was terribly painful for Carl. He headed to the Southwest, to Tucson, Arizona, a place his medical providers suggested might be good for his asthma as well.

Secrecy and discretion, evidence of both Carl and his dad's integrity and trustworthiness, protected Carl's younger brothers, and would have been thought necessary given beliefs about gay men at the time. Carl felt the distance grow between family members, and thought it was tragic for the entire family. In fact, he personally felt responsible for it, because being responsible was another of his strong traits. In truth, he and his Dad were not to blame, but the situation and the time in which they lived were.

Some of the emotional distance between siblings mended with time, but sadly his father died suddenly in 1988, and reconciliation with his father never occurred, which troubled Carl throughout his adulthood. The rest of his family embraced, and even trusted him such that Carl was the one asked to settle his father's estate. Carl also cared for his mother, who moved to Tucson to accept his support. She passed away in Tucson in 2009.

In the late 1960s Carl was a hippie. He valued life and love and the natural world. He was involved in protests against the Vietnam War shortly after arriving in Tucson, and with Massachusetts license plates on his car, the arresting police and the judge were not kind to him. This did not dampen his spirit. He would continue to protest hate and promote love his entire life.

Carl was a scholar, with curiosity that fueled his life-long commitment to learning. He graduated from the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, with a B.S. in Accounting and Business Administration in 1971. Ten years later, in 1981, he further fortified his academic standing by attaining a M.S. in Management Information Systems from the same institution.

After graduation, Carl became an employee of the University of Arizona in 1981. He worked in the Center for Computing and Information Technology (CCIT). He retired a Systems Programmer from the University of Arizona in May, 2005.

Carl's love of nature and dedication to his LGBTQIA+ community would be recognized by The Great Outdoors, a hiking and camping group for LGBTQIA+ people. Carl was awarded a certificate of recognition in 1983 and a plaque in 1984 for his leadership in and presidency of their  Tucson chapter. This achievement was a testament to his ability to inspire and lead others, to share his love of the natural world, and to heal and foster friendship and love  in his often misunderstood and attacked LGBTQIA+ community.

Carl created a unique, safe haven for gay men. In 1991, he opened Tortuga Roja, a clothing optional Bed & Breakfast for gay men (although others were frequently welcomed). This venture displayed his passion for creating and nurturing safe spaces for people who might not have had such safe spaces at home. Tortuga Roja closed in 2006, as developers had purchased it and adjacent and nearby properties for development.

As a man who loved the natural world, he certainly explored much of it! Not only did he adventure throughout the Southwest with friends and with organizations like The Great Outdoors, but he was a world traveler. He visited every continent on this planet of beautiful and diverse ecologies and peoples, and finally even made it to Antarctica in February 2020. He gathered knowledge from all over the world, and brought it home, and poured it into his garden, which he tended even more enthusiastically in retirement, and enjoyed sharing with the many friends and community members he invited to gatherings at his home.

Carl married the love of his life, Gregory Anderson, in 2010 in Sturbridge, MA. Gregory's father, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, helped them write their vows, and honored them by officiating. Their relationship was one of great  love, truth, understanding, and respect. Carl and Gregory actually considered themselves married in 2005, but Arizona didn't legally recognize LGBTQ+ marriages until 2014. On their return from their honeymoon on Fire Island in 2010, they joined a class-action lawsuit to encourage Arizona to recognize same sex marriage as legal, but they were culled from the group of couples because their 20 year age difference might not appeal to those hearing the case.

He loved music and attended many concerts of a great diversity of music styles. He and his husband donated to the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, and always purchased season tickets and attended together. They also attended all kinds of popular and world music concerts in Tucson, Phoenix, Santa Fe, Las Vegas, and around the world wherever they traveled. The B-52s, Angelique Kidjo, Devo, Slipknot, The Kronos Quartet, The Who, Five Finger Death Punch (where some young people enjoyed seeing the 70+ year-old man in front of them moving to the music), Joan Baez, Nine Inch Nails, the list goes on and on... and yes, he was at Woodstock!

In recent years, Carl was deeply affected by the loss of much loved friends and family members. He lost his mother Ruth, his aunt Anna, his dear friend David Johnson, another dear friend Doug Shakel, and the list goes on. He was accumulating so many holes in his heart! Of course, he turned this into empathy, and tried so hard to hang in there so his loved ones, including his husband Gregory, wouldn't have to experience such painful loss. During COVID lockdown, the inability to have surgery for a fungal infection in his sinuses, and the need to keep breathing with lifelong asthma worsened due to the fungal infection, led to steroid dependency. The steroids eventually wrecked his immune system, and he suffered more agonizing treatments and surgeries than such a gentle person should ever have to endure. With weakened lungs from lifelong asthma, a weakened heart that overcompensated for his asthma, and a weakened immune system due to steroid use for his asthma... his heart stopped in the Emergency Room on November 19, 2023.

Carl is survived by his husband, Gregory Anderson, who loves him endlessly. He is also survived by his brothers, Gary and Mark Eynatian. He was predeceased by his father, Vasken Kenneth Eynatian, and his mother, Ruth Hripsime Eynatian. His memory will live on in the hearts of those he leaves behind, and his legacy will continue to inspire those who knew him.

We take comfort in knowing that Carl lived a life full of purpose, love, and accomplishment. His memory will forever serve as an example of strength, resilience, honesty and courage. Rest in peace, beautiful curmudgeon Carl. Your loved ones, the communities you supported, and even Tucson herself will forever thank you for the gift of your presence and influence. You will be missed, but never forgotten.

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