Stella Babaian of Hopkinton passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family on March 19 after a long, courageous battle with cancer. She was 58 years old.

Stella was born Sept. 12, 1961, in Baku, Azerbaijan. She and her family would later flee war-torn Azerbaijan for their homeland of Armenia, and eventually sought refuge in Moscow, Russia, before arriving in the United States. Stella worked at Community Teamwork in Lowell, most recently in human services/social work. Helping others brought her joy and purpose. Those who knew Stella would say she was a loving, kind and gentle soul, whose family and friends meant the world to her.

Stella is survived by her loving daughter, Marietta Kenyan, and son-in-law, Paul. She was blessed with two grandchildren, Benjamin and Robert, whom she loved immensely. She was the devoted daughter of Lidia (Petrosian) and the late Ararat Babaian. She also is survived by her sister, Svetlana Babayan, and brother-in-law, Kamo Arushanyan, as well as nephews Arman and Gena Arushanyan.

Private funeral services, under the care of Giragosian Funeral Home of Watertown, have been held. Her family would like to thank the breast oncology team at Massachusetts General Hospital, specifically Drs. Amy Comander, Jennifer Shin and Aditya Bardia, as well as nurses Elizabeth, Amanda, Deb, Maria and Eleni, who helped Stella and her family greatly during these difficult years.