NICHOLAS MILTON SARRIS

1931 - 2017

SARRIS, Nicholas Milton Of Dover, Gray Gables and Lesvos, Ipsilometopo, Greece, passed away on Tuesday, May 30th at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Born August 11, 1931 in Amherst, MA, to the late Charles and Parthenope Sarris, where he grew up with his brother Byron Sarris and his late sister, Themis Ellis, on the fringe of Amherst College's playing fields. A member of the Dana Street gang, he honed his athletic skills on those fields. The gang challenged other neighborhood teams to contests of football, basketball, baseball and physical combats often times followed the games. He graduated from Tabor Academy where he excelled in athletics. He went on to Colby College and continued with football and baseball. In his senior year, after a football game, he contracted polio and was left paralyzed from the chest down. He spent eight months at Children's Hospital, where he met Shirley Brenize, who nursed him mentally and physically back to health. He returned to Colby and finished his senior year and married Shirley in 1954. He entered Boston University Law School and with the help of two Colby Phi Delta Theta fraternity brothers was able to attend the handicap inaccessible law school and obtain his law degree. He set up a law practice in Boston and involved himself in politics of the city and the Commonwealth, playing a major role in fights for Mayor, Governor, Attorney General and President as well as lesser offices. He held several positions including Deputy Secretary of State, Assistant Attorney General, Special Assistant to the Federal Co-Chairman for New England Regional Commission and Attorney for Massport. He and Shirley moved to Dover in 1961 and had four children; Phillip, Nicholas, Laura and Andrea. He opened a second office in Dover and involved himself in the town's government, becoming a member of Planning Board, Board of Selectman and a variety of committees relative to town and school district governance. He became active in his Tabor Academy Trusteeship and Alumni activities for Tabor and Colby College. He and Shirley retired in 1990 and spent the winters in Florida and the summers in their villa on the island of Lesvos, Ipsilometopo, Greece, where they enjoyed sights and sounds and excellent cuisine of the Greek village. Nick is survived by his wife Shirley (Brenize) Sarris; his children, Phillip, Nicholas, Laura and Andrea; his grandchildren, Nicholas Sarris, Christopher Walter, Leah, Molly and Heidi Sarris. A Memorial Service will be held in the Dover Church, 17 Springdale Ave., Dover, on Thursday, June 8th at 11 am. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations in Nick's name may be made to Tabor Academy, 232 Front St., Marion, MA 02738. For obit, directions or to share a memory of Nick, please visit: www.eatonfuneralhomes.com Eaton Funeral Home 781-444-0201