October 6, 1976 – October 3, 2026
Ramela (Khachomian) Laptalo passed away on October 3, 2026, just three days shy of her 50th birthday, surrounded by family and friends she loved deeply.
To know Ramela was to be loved by her. She had a way of making people feel welcome and cared for. Her actions, whether great or small, were done with love. It was simply how she lived.
Ramela was born on October 6, 1976, in Tehran, Iran, and grew up in the Los Angeles and Glendale area. She attended Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, Toll Middle School, and Hoover High School, where she was on the drill team. She loved dance, pursued interests in modeling and acting, and always had an eye for fashion. Ramela had style — the kind that was unmistakably her own.
Before marriage, Ramela was a talented makeup artist. But the life she treasured most was the one she built with her husband, Michael, and their two sons, Jack and Luke. She loved Michael deeply, and being a mother to her boys was at the very heart of who she was.
Anyone who knew the Laptalos knew that basketball was a part of their life. Ramela and Michael loved supporting their boys through practices, games, tournaments, long drives, and plenty of travel. For Ramela, there was little better than being in the stands, watching the two boys she cherished more than anything play basketball.
And while her family was at the center of her world, Ramela had a way of making so many others feel like family too.
She was Teta Melly / Mokour (Auntie) to seemingly everyone, whether they were related or not. She made everyone feel at home. Her door was open and there was always room for one more. And you never left her house hungry.
Ramela was a fantastic cook. Feeding people was just part of loving them. Her home was full of family, friends, kids, food, laughter, and people coming and going. It was the kind of place where you thought you were stopping by for a little while and ended up staying much longer than you planned. People wanted to be there because Ramela wanted them there.
She loved to travel and experience new places. Croatia, Italy, France, Hawaii, and Mexico were among her favorites. Sharing those experiences with the people she loved made them all the more special.
Ramela leaves behind her beloved husband, Michael; her sons, Jack, 16, and Luke, 13; her mother, Anahid Khachomian; her sister, Rumina Kassouny, her husband Vicken, and their daughter, Viviana; her mother- and father-in-law, Slavka and Jakov Laptalo; her brother-in-law, Luko Laptalo, his wife Lisa, and their three daughters, Emilia, Nikolina, and Katarina; and her sister-in-law, Mariana, her husband Frane, and their four children, Valentina, Kico, Verena, and Valeta. She was preceded in death by her father, Khecho Khachomian.
Cancer took Ramela far too soon. She fought until the end, with those she loved by her side.
Even in her final days, as she grew weaker, Ramela was still Ramela. Whenever someone told her, “I love you,” she would answer:
“I love you more.”
Those words were her.
Ramela leaves a huge void in the lives of those who loved her. But she also leaves so much of herself with us — in Michael, in Jack and Luke, in her family, in lifelong friendships, in crowded kitchens and full tables, in basketball gyms and family trips, in laughter, in countless memories, and in all the people who were lucky enough to call her family, friend, or simply Teta Melly / Mokour (Auntie)
There will never be another Ramela.
We love you, Teta Melly / Baby Love.
And we already know how you’d respond.
“I love you more.”
Rest in peace, Ramela. May you rest in God’s loving embrace, surrounded by the love you gave so freely throughout your life.
Funeral services were held on Friday, October 9, 2026.
