Isaac Tashjian, a teacher at Toll Middle School, passed away on Wednesday afternoon. He was a beloved math teacher at Toll for over twenty years. 

“Tash [Tashjian] was devoted to his students, his family and our Toll community,” Toll Principal Jennifer DeLadurantely wrote in an email to the Toll staff. 

Tashjian and his wife, Heather, were admitted to the hospital on August 21 with Covid pneumonia, according to the GoFundMe page set up by Susan McHobart-Elerick, Heather’s childhood friend. McHobart-Elerick noted that the pair have had an uphill battle with Covid ever since they were admitted to the hospital. 

In a post on the GoFundMe page, Heather noted that Tashjian was put on a ventilator on the 31st, 10 days after being admitted. His lung collapsed a few hours later, and he needed a chest tube, she wrote.

Sosie Mkrtumyan, a senior at Hoover who was in Tashjian’s class, shared a heartwarming memory she had of him that exemplified Tashjian’s kindness and compassion for others. 

“I remember when I was in eighth grade getting a very low score on my test,” reflected Mkrtumyan. “I went to his classroom and asked if I could retake my test and he very kindly said, ‘of course you can,’ and he let me retake my test and I got a better score.”

Varoujan Akopian, a math teacher at Toll and friend of Tashjian since college, shared the impact Tashjian had on his career. 

“That man was a man with a big word,” said Akopian. “As a human being, as a father, as a husband, as a friend he was the best.”

Vahe Tcharkhoutian, a math teacher at Toll who worked alongside Tashjian. “He personified math,” said Tcharkhoutian. “He expected that his students perform to the best ability.”

Tashjian is survived by his wife and his daughter. Funeral services are pending.