JONATHAN R. KARIS

KARIS, Jonathan R. 58, of Southborough, passed away unexpectedly at home on April 2, 2015 after a courageous two-and-a-half year battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Nancy; his children Matt and Kirsten; his mother Doris, a sister, Kathy and her husband John. He was predeceased by his father Christopher. Jon graduated from Harvard College in 1979. After a year of teaching biology at his alma mater Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree, he decided on law school. Upon graduating from Georgetown University Law Center in 1983, he practiced business and corporate law in Boston for 32 years as a partner first at Hutchins & Wheeler and then at Nixon Peabody. Jon was a teacher and coach at heart and enjoyed helping new associates grow in their practice of the law. Jon was passionate about his family. He met Nancy in law school and they have been inseparable for the past 32 years. According to Jon, his best investment was his marriage license, followed closely by his Patriots season tickets. Jon was an intensely dedicated fan of his children and their sports teams. Jon never missed a game whether it was high school sports at Noble & Greenough, baseball at Gettysburg College and the Lexington Blue Sox, or Colby College women's lacrosse. He could always be found pacing quietly down the third base line or sideline with a superstitious pile of twigs and lucky pennies praying for strikes to be thrown or a defensive stop to be made. Regardless of the outcome of a game, Jon was just happy to be there and watch his kids compete. They will forever be grateful for his unrelenting encouragement, pregame hugs and handshakes, and devout support. The funeral mass will be held at St. Ignatius, Chestnut Hill, at 10:30am on Thursday, April 9 followed by a private burial. Instead of a wake, the Karis family invites all to a reception at their home in Southborough on Friday, April 10 from 1:00-7:00pm. Kirsten will be running the 2015 Boston Marathon in Jon's honor and to support his surgical team at Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Kirsten's fundraising through the following website: https://www.crowdrise.com/teameyeandear/fundraiser/kirstenkaris Arrangements are under the care of Morris Funeral Home, Southborough (morrisfuneralparlor.com)