Vahan (Vaughn) Barmakian, of Winchester and Oak Bluffs, co-founder of a prominent New England jewelry business and member of a quaternary marriage died peacefully on June 17. He was 87.

An identical twin, Vahan was born in Cambridge in 1930 to parents of Armenian descent. He and his twin brother Diran married identical twins Lillian and Sylvia Tatigian of Montreal in a headline-making double wedding on Nov. 9, 1958. The twin-twin marriage was especially unique in that the couples lived together, raising their children in a single-family home, first in Arlington and later in Winchester, Massachusetts. The families also lived together during summers on the Vineyard in a cottage on Waban Park.

Vahan with his twin Diran and older brother Ara, who both died in 2006, worked together to build what was an inconsequential jewelry store left to them by their father Levon into a multi-location, major New England jewelry business. Vahan was the most social, staying on the sales floor and remembering everyone he sold to, including their network of friends and families. He continued to work well into his 80s, and only stopped when his failing health prevented it at 86.

From early childhood, the extended Barmakian families spent summers in Oak Bluffs. Vahan’s father and four uncles began coming to the Vineyard in the early 1920s, buying commercial and residential real estate in the town. As a young man, Vahan held many summer jobs on Circuit avenue and was always ready to share hilarious stories of yesteryear in Oak Bluffs. Vahan truly loved the Island and in his later years wrote brief snippets of Oak Bluffs history that appeared in local papers.

When his family outgrew the cottage they lived in on Waban Park, he and his brothers purchased property formerly owned by Senator Brooke nearby. They eventually built several homes on the property for their children so their grandchildren could enjoy the Vineyard as much as they did.

An avid tennis player, Mr. Barmakian particularly enjoyed weekend mornings with his friends at Tom Rabbit’s tennis club. He loved Martha’s Vineyard beaches and could often be seen zipping around in his Island-purple semi-antique mini-Moke on his way there. He had many friends and acquaintances on the Island and couldn’t go far without running into someone he knew to stop and chat with.

Vahan grew up in Watertown and maintained close ties with his many cousins and friends from childhood. He graduated Boston University in 1952 with a bachelor of science degree in business administration. From youth until his later years, he was active in the Armenian community through various organizations and his church.

He is survived by his wife Sylvia and three children, Adreena, Adam and Nyree Valdes, son in law Eduardo Valdes and grandchildren Evan, Emil, and Oliver. He is also survived by his sister in law Lillian and her four daughters, and many grandnephews and grandnieces.

Funeral services were held at the St. James Armenian Apostolic Church on June 22.