"Testament to resilience, dedication" - Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian bids final goodbye to grandfather John Ohanian
Serena Williams' husband and Reddit co-founder, Alexis Ohanian, paid a heartfelt tribute to his grandfather, John Ohanian, who passed away at the age of 101.
Alexis Ohanian posted an emotional message on Instagram to look back into the life of John Ohanian and how his triumphs and tribulations made him a better man. John was born in 1922 in warn-torn Armenia and fled the country with his family. His life was filled with hardships but the determination saw him through the tough times.
"We laid my Grandfather, John Ohanian, to rest yesterday. “Great Grandpa” (to Olympia & Adira) was a man whose journey of 101 years (one month away from 102!) was a testament to resilience, dedication, and the enduring power of family," Ohanian wrote.
He further noted:
"Born into the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide, his early years were marked by immense challenges. His parents, survivors themselves, instilled in him a deep need for self-sufficiency and the importance of family. These lessons would become the cornerstone of his life."
Alexis Ohanian said John was "built different" and survived the recession, fought in World War II, became a lawyer, and helped many Americans. Alexis revealed that he learned about John during one of the Reddit 'Ask Me Anything' sessions 10 years ago.
The conversation was one of the most popular on social media platforms that year and received millions of views. John talked at length about his journey and Alexis enjoyed the special time with him.
Onahian continued:
"He was from a generation that was built different, forged in the fires of the recession, inspired to enlist in the US Army to fight in WWII, he ultimately earned a law degree thanks to the GI Bill at William & Mary."
"He had a great career in the law, fighting on behalf of a wide range of Americans, but I really got to learn about this side of him during a Reddit AMA ten years ago. I brought him onto Reddit for one of our site's famous AMAs and transcribed his crowdsourced interview with millions of redditors."
He added:
"I learned a lot about him from this experience. He didn't think anyone would be interested in his life. It was one of our most popular that year. We finished and he asked me “when does it start?” He loved it, he was just vibing out like we'd been having a conversation, a grandpa telling his grandson about his life."
Alexis Ohanian, who married Serena Williams in 2017, said John was a symbol of self-reliance and he taught three generations of Ohanians important lessons of life.
"Self-reliance was a hallmark of my Grandfather, and I’m grateful for it. Grandpa, I know the road you walked wasn’t easy, but it has carried us through 3 new generations of Ohanians, achieving opportunities your parents, who endured a nightmare in their youth, could’ve only dreamed of," Ohanian concluded.
Serena Williams shows off USWNT jerseys collection
Serena Williams recently showed off her collection of jerseys of the stars of the United States women's national soccer team. In a picture posted on social media platform X, the 42-year-old revealed that she has so far collected jerseys of Trinity Rodman, Lynn Williams, Midge Purce, and Alyssa Thompson — the four players with over 120 combined appearances for the USWNT.
Serena Williams was able to get her hands on the jerseys thanks to online auction house AC Momento. She also asked her fans to weigh in on which player's jersey she should add to her collection next.
"Starting to collect match-worn jerseys. thanks to @ACMomento. I’d say I’m off to a good start with these four stars from the USWNT. Who should I go after next?!" Williams wrote.
Serena Williams retired from tennis in 2022 at the US Open and has since then welcomed her second child, Adira River Ohanian, in August 2023. The American legend retired with 23 singles Grand Slam titles, the second-most of all time. She won a total of 73 titles on the WTA Tour.