John Mirak, was an Armenian-American

Armenian-American

Armenian Americans are citizens of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Armenia. During the United States 2000 Census, 385,488 respondents indicated either full or partial Armenian ancestry...

 businessman who owned several car dealerships and automotive businesses in Massachusetts. He and his family are widely known for their contributions to Armenian society in both the diaspora and the republic.

He was born on March 11, 1907 in the city of Arabkir

Arabkir

Arapgir Arapgir Arapgir (also Arabkir, Arabgir, Arapkir is the name of a town and district of Malatya Province, Turkey. As of 2000 it had a population of 17,070 people. It is situated in the confluence of the eastern and western Euphrates river, but some miles from the right bank of the combined...

, Western Armenia

Western Armenia

Western Armenia is a term, primarily used by Armenians, to refer to Armenian-inhabited areas of the Armenian Highland that were part of the Ottoman Empire and now are part of the Republic of Turkey....

. He immigrated to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in 1920 after becoming an orphan after the Armenian Genocide

Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...

 and married Artemis Mirak, also a genocide survivor from Arabkir.

In 1932 he established The Arlington Center Garage and Service Corporation and with the help of his sons. Then, he started Mirak Chevrolet in Arlington

Arlington, Massachusetts

Arlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, six miles northwest of Boston. The population was 42,844 at the 2010 census.-History:...

, Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 in 1936. His dealership also sold Hyundai

Hyundai Kia Automotive Group

The Hyundai Kia Automotive Group is South Korea's largest automobile manufacturer, the second largest automaker in Asia after Toyota and the world's fourth largest automaker after Toyota, GM, and Volkswagen as of the end of 2010...

. Mirak also had a Lincoln

Lincoln (automobile)

Lincoln is an American luxury vehicle brand of the Ford Motor Company. Lincoln vehicles are sold mostly in North America.-History:The company was founded in August 1915 by Henry M. Leland, one of the founders of Cadillac . During World War I, he left Cadillac which was sold to General Motors...

-Mercury

Mercury (automobile)

Mercury was an automobile marque of the Ford Motor Company launched in 1938 by Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford, to market entry-level luxury cars slotted between Ford-branded regular models and Lincoln-branded luxury vehicles, similar to General Motors' Buick brand, and Chrysler's namesake brand...

-Nissan dealership which closed in the 1990s. Mirak Chevrolet-Hyundai is located at 1125 Massachusetts Ave. in Arlington, Massachusetts. Mirak Lincoln-Mercury-Nissan was located at 956 Massachusetts Ave. in Arlington, Massachusetts. In the place where Mirak Lincoln-Mercury-Nissan used to be, a business called RCN is in its place.

He died on January 31, 2000 at Lahey Hitchcock Clinic in Burlington, Massachusetts

Burlington, Massachusetts

Burlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,498 at the 2010 census.- History :It is believed that Burlington takes its name from the English town of Bridlington, however this has never been confirmed....

 at the age of 92 of complications from a stroke

Stroke

A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...

.