Obituary of Zachary Marantis

Zachary Marantis, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away on April 3, 2025 in Harrison, NY.  He was 94.

Zachary had a beautiful life.  He was born on September 20, 1930 in the Bronx to Eftyhia Boukas and Constantine Marantis.  He spent his childhood with his sister, Mary, and brother, George, in Washington Heights and Greece doing the things he loved – playing basketball, football, painting, and even stomping grapes.  Young Zachary excelled in school.  He graduated from George Washington High School in 1948 with honors and from City College of New York in 1952 with a Bachelors of Art. Zachary went on to join the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1954, serving in the Judge Advocate General’s office in Frankfurt, Germany.  He then received his law degree from Fordham Law School in 1957 with a medal for excellence in constitutional law.

Cupid struck Zachary in 1952 when he met the love of his life, Cleo Veras.  After a whirlwind romance, they married on February 18, 1954 and immediately set sail for Germany where they lived for the next nine months. They picnicked in Paris, skied in Austria, and relished their time in post-war Europe.  Zachary and Cleo returned to New York and, over the years, had three children, Dean (deceased), Denise, and Demetrios.  They spent time living in the Bronx, Bronxville, and then Harrison where they have resided since 1966.

Zachary had a successful legal career and dedicated so much of his time to his family and community.  Professionally, he worked in the law department of several companies and served as the General Counsel of Norlin Corporation, a multifaceted, international company.  He left corporate law in the mid-1980s to found his own law firm, Marantis, Rosenberg & Van Ness, where he worked until he retired in 2000.  His community work revolved around his church, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of New Rochelle.  He served in many capacities there including President of the Parish Council and was instrumental in many projects at the church including the construction of the gymnasium and renovation of the social hall.  An Archon of the Greek Orthodox Church, Zachary was also a proud and active member of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) and served several terms as President of the AHEPA’s Evzone Chapter 405 in New Rochelle. 

Zachary’s outside interests were vast.  He was a gifted athlete whose speed, football moves, basketball prowess, and tennis serve unnerved his opponents.  He was also a talented artist.  From dramatic seascapes to portraits of his family, Zachary created a beautiful world on canvas.  On top of that, he was the first to help others solve their life problems, spending countless hours providing wise counsel to those in need in addition to pro bono legal services and other forms of assistance.

Above all, Zachary was a kind, patient, generous, caring, and loving husband, father, uncle, brother, grandfather, and great-grandfather.  He is survived by Cleo Marantis, his darling wife of 71 years, and two of his three children, Denise and Demetrios, and their spouses Evan Graf and Christophe Jouenne, respectively.  He is also survived by his grandchildren Dean Graf, Melanie Gounardes, and Alexander Graf and their spouses Justine Graf, Andrew Gounardes, and Maeve Ward, respectively. Zachary was lucky to spend time with five great-grandchildren, Dean, Gabriella, and Anthony Graf and Evan and James Gounardes.  He is also survived by his many nieces and nephews whom he loved dearly.

Visitation will be held at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 10 Mill Road, New Rochelle, NY 10804 on Wednesday, April 9, 2025 from 10:00am to 11:30am.

Funeral Service will follow at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. 10 Mill Road, New Rochelle, 10804 from 11:30am to 12:30pm.

Interment wil be held at Fairview Memorial Park, 111 State Rte 435, Elmhurst Township, PA 18444 on Thursday. April 10, 2025 at 12:15pm.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church 10 Mill Road New Rochelle, New York 10804: In Memory of Zachary Marantis

Services for Zachary Marantis may be viewed via Livestreem using the zoom app please follow instructions below:

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