William J. Zaphiris

William Joseph Zaphiris, 86, of Corry, PA died on December 23, 2016 at Corry Manor surrounded by his family. He was born on March 27, 1930 in Corry, PA to the late William Zafiropulos and Mary Burkhart Zafiropulos. William (aka Bill, Dad, Fish, Grandpa Z, Grandpa Chochy) lived in Union City until 1941 when his parents moved to Corry to open the Ritz Restaurant. He attended Corry schools and was class president of Corry High School during his time there. He attended Dartmouth College, and Carnegie Mellon University earning an architectural degree. As a registered architect, he worked for architectural practice firms in Rochester, NY, Hanover, NH, Meadville, PA, Erie, PA, Sharon, PA and Corry, PA. His local building projects included St. Elizabeth Parish Center and Newman Center for Edinboro University. He also worked at American Sterilizer and Erie Insurance in Erie, PA. William was a member of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Corry, PA and also served as past president of the Corry Alumni Association. Bill was most renowned in Corry as owner of the Ritz Chocolate and Candy Company (formerly Ritz Restaurant). On any given day after his 'day job' or on the weekends, he would be preparing chocolates, roasting fresh nuts, making candy canes and ribbon candy, or standing behind the counter with his elbow propped up while talking to customers, making countless connections, acquaintances and friends. One of his most beloved abilities was being able to talk with any person he encountered with curiosity and respect. He loved to hear people's stories and connect with them. He was an avid reader and a lifetime student of politics, history, religion and geography. William is survived by his wife, Margaret (Florek) Zaphiris whom he married on October 31, 1959 at St. Anthony's Church in Cambridge Springs, PA.Bill and Margaret raised nine children. He was a proud father of and is survived by:Therese (Zaphiris) Alcorn and her husband Tom of Oil City, PA; William Zaphiris and his wife Helen (Raines) of Kernersville, NC; Peter Zaphiris and his wife Dana (Hilling) of Fairview, PA; Dr. Anne Zaphiris and her husband Dr. Thomas Mack of North East, PA; Christopher Zaphiris and his wife Tami (Dewitt) of Maineville, OH; Margaret (Maggie) (Zaphiris) Shopene and her husband Rich of Corry, PA; Jim Zaphiris of Meadville, PA; John Zaphiris and his wife Marion (Scarpitti) of Erie, PA; and Mary (Zaphiris) Vanderweele and her husband Dr. Jon Vanderweele of Okinawa, Japan.William is also survived by 19 grandchildren and one great grandchild. Patrick Johnson and his wife Rachel, Andrew Johnson and his fiancée Shalyna, Matthew Alcorn, Zeb Raines and his wife Jamie, Madison Zaphiris, Nikolaos Zaphiris, Peter 'Alec' Zaphiris and Jack Zaphiris, Aidan Zaphiris Mack, David Zaphiris and his wife Janette, Eric Zaphiris, Zachary Shopene, Alexander Shopene, Loukas Zaphiris, Samantha Zaphiris, Ava Zaphiris, Tyler Zaphiris, Will Vanderweele and Kai Vanderweele, and Roman Zaphiris. He is also survived by his brother-in-law, Don Hewitt, his wife's sisters, Agatha Tyzinski, Cecelia Tschannen, Sophia Kloecker, Catherine Chamberlain, Ann Florek, several cousins, and many nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister Marie Hewitt and three great grandchildren Landon, Caleb, and Daniel Johnson. Family and friends are invited to the Bracken Funeral Home, 315 N. Center St., Corry, PA, on Thursday from 2 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m., a Rosary Service will be held at 4:45 p.m. Prayers for the transfer will be held at the Bracken Funeral Home on Friday at 9:30 a.m., followed by a Funeral Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Roman Catholic Church, 203 W. Washington St., Corry PA, at 10 a.m., with Rev. Mark A. Hoffman of St. Thomas/(St. Elizabeth), presiding. Burial will be made in St. Thomas Cemetery, Corry, PA at a later date.Memorials may be made to the Corry Public Library, 117 W. Washington St., Corry, PA, 16407, St. Thomas Church, 203 W. Washington St., Corry, PA, 16407 or the Corry Community Foundation, 1524 Enterprise Rd., Corry, PA, 16407. To sign the guest book or send condolences, please visit www.brackenfh.com.