Joseph James R. Zaharis

Joseph “Jim” Zaharis, 88, died Tuesday, October 1, 2019 at Mercy Hospital in Portland, Maine. Beloved husband of the late Grace Zaharis. Loving father to Phyllis and Woody Kraus, Teresa and Dan Kabel, Laura and Jeff Dito and Mark Zaharis. Beloved grandfather to Nick, Eddie, Amanda, Andrew, Anthony, Thomas, Katie, Gioia, Hayley and Lacey. Adored great-grandfather to 11. Loving companion to Patricia Caron. Born in 1931 in Westbrook, Maine, to Louis and Aurore Zaharis, Jim dedicated his life to his family and the service of others. As a young man, he worked with his father delivering produce and baked goods from Zahares’ Market, which he continued to do throughout high school. He was a talented football player and track runner for Westbrook High School, where he was the track team captain. Jim enlisted in the Air Force shortly after graduating high school. He was stationed in Korea as part of the “Mosquito Squadron.” After returning to the states, he was stationed at Mitchell Field Air Base, where he met his soon-to-be wife, and love of his life, Grace, who was a singer in the USO Club. After his time in the service, Jim settled down on Long Island and had a career as a Supervisor of Parks for the Town of Hempstead. He oversaw the operation of some of the town’s largest and most prestigious parks. His meticulous care of the lawns carried over to his home in Baldwin, N.Y., where everyone knew that you were not allowed to walk on the grass. In addition to his 38 years with the parks department, Jim was the last surviving founding member of the Town of Hempstead Credit Union. Jim was a dedicated church member and served as an usher at the Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Church for many years. In recent years, he lived in Westbrook, where he spent much of his time with Pat and many other dear friends. Jim remained actively involved in the Westbrook Historical Society, was passionate about golf at the Gorham Country Club and enjoyed being part of many Memorial Day parades, as a Korean War Air Force Veteran. He enjoyed challenging visitors and friends to a good game of cards or Tri-Ominos and enjoyed spending time at the casino. He will be dearly missed.