Bruce Yazejian

Bruce Edward Yazejian, of Calabasas, California, passed away July 26, 2022. He was born November 19, 1955, in Detroit, Michigan, to Jeanette Yazejian (Parsekian) and Edward Yazejian. He married Lisa Banner on February 29, 1992, and they had three children, Lucy, Rita, and Jill, who all survive him.

He graduated from Michigan State University in 1977 with a B.S. in Biochemistry. He earned his Ph.D. in Neurobiology at the University of Southern California in 1987. He completed postdoctoral research and maintained an ongoing collaboration at UCLA. Over his career he authored a number of well-regarded publications on the mechanisms of neurotransmitter release at synapses. He also taught many subjects including neurobiology, physiology, and cell biology at several higher institutions, most recently at USC.

In Michigan, Bruce participated in the Boy Scouts of America and achieved the highest honor of Eagle Scout. He was known for his ultimate DIY home construction, growing avocado trees from pits, his impeccable sense of humor, doing the daily crossword puzzle honestly and in pen, and his unwavering love for his family.

Bruce is predeceased by his parents, siblings Ellen Yazejian (Habib) and Brian Yazejian, and father-in-law William Banner. He is survived by his sister Joan Yazejian (Bogosian); nieces and nephews Kelly Habib, Edward, Claire, and Audrey Bogosian, Joshua, Rachel, Rebecca, Hannah, Zachary, and Sarah McGuinness; brothers-in-law Jeffrey Bogosian, Kirk Habib, and Michael McGuinness; sisters-in-law Dana Banner and Gina McGuinness; and mother-in-law Shirley Banner. He will be greatly missed by all.

Services will be held at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, on Thursday, August 4, 2022, at 2:00pm. Please consider planting an avocado tree in his memory or making a donation to the Armenia Tree Project.