Srpouhi "Sourpik" Papazian was born in Angora in the Ottoman Empire. Though her birth year is given in available records as 1871 (grave) or 1872 (death certificate), a baptismal ledger records that she was baptized on December 6, 1868 of the Julian calendar, December 18 of the modern, so she was most likely born within a couple days prior. Her husband Bedros Tekian was a wealthy landowner in Ankara who rented property to many people including Turks of the town. Bedros died of a heart attack around 1914 when out collecting rents, and the Tekian lands were confiscated soon after during the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Sourpik and her children escaped to Istanbul, except for one son who had been serving in the Ottoman Army and was thought killed. It turns out he had defected and fled to Egypt and later reunited with the family. In 1921 Sourpik's oldest daughter Louisa sailed for Philadelphia, where a marriage had been arranged for her. Her other two sisters followed the next year. Sourpik's two sons moved to France where they worked in the salt mines, and were joined by the formerly lost brother. It is not certain when Sourpik moved to join them but it seems she was alone in Istanbul living in poverty for some time before being able to join her sons in France. By 1930 Sourpik joined her daughters in Philadelphia, where she spent a few months at a time living with each daughters' family and was known as Ya-Ya to her grandchildren. She suffered a stroke which left her debilitated and unable to speak for the last fifteen or so years of her life. When she died, her husband's name was also placed on the stone as a cenotaph to him as he was buried in Angora. His grave was likely at the Ankara Catholic Cemetery which was destroyed after the genocide and turned into the headquarters of the Turkish National Radio Station.