Manouk G. Kassabian

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. - With a passion for life and a talent for creating great hair, award-winning Manouk Kassabian was the kind of stylist every woman adores. Many stayed with him for decades at the San Pedro salon he and his wife, Dee, purchased in 1982. Kassabian, a Rancho Palos Verdes resident, was born in Beirut on Feb., 20, 1954. He saved his money and came to the United States when he was about 20 years old, settling first in Torrance, he attended cosmetology school at John Perry’s, and then in the Harbor Area, where he quickly made a name for himself in hair styling circles. He worked at C&F Scissors, in Rolling Hills Estates, and at Michael J’s Salon, in San Pedro, before buying La Vogue. He started out in the flamboyant, tight-pants, heavy-neck chain era of the late 1970s and early 1980s. In recent years, his look became more seasoned as he took on the roles of doting grandfather and popular holiday host at parties, cooking up his favorite Lebanese delicacies for guests. His daughter, Natalie Kassabian Myers, who also is a La Vogue stylist, said her dad discovered his calling when he was just 12 years old, helping a local salon owner sweep up his shop every week. Soon, he was learning the trade. “He liked making people happy,” Myers said. Kassabian was innovative, passionate and “cutting edge,” Myers said. Through the years, he won several styling competition awards — his trophies line a top shelf at the salon — and more recently served as a judge. He loved motorcycles, food and traveling. But mostly, he loved what he did. “He was booked every day,” Myers said, “and he still had new clients coming in.” Kassabian, with his full head of curly hair, greeted his clients like family, often with a cup of Turkish coffee or the offer of a glass of wine. News of his death — he was on a Sunday, July 14, ride with friends and his son-in-law, Jeff Myers, when his bike hit some gravel on the winding mountain road they were traveling — has stunned his many friends, who have flooded the salon with cards and visits to offer condolences. Kassabian and his wife, Dee, had just celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary on July 8. The family intends to continue operating the salon. In addition to his wife and daughter, Kassabian is survived by a son, Tony, his fiancée, Kelly Olson, and their daughter, Ella Dee and and two granddaughters, Skye & Keira Myers. Funeral services will be held on Friday, August 9, 2019 at 12:00 Noon in the Springer Turner Funeral Home Chapel, 260 North 400 West in Richfield, Utah, where friends may call for viewing Saturday morning one hour prior to the services. Burial will be in the Gunnison, Utah City Cemetery next to his youngest son, Kristopher Kassabian who also died in a motorcycle accident, on Oct. 27, 2013.