Louis Harris' Obituary
Lou Harris Obituary
6/3/1943 to 5/19/2026
Lou Harris, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and tireless champion of his community, passed away after a battle with cancer on May 19, 2026, in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was 82 years old. Born on June 3, 1943 and raised in the Bronx, New York, Lou spent the majority of his life in New Jersey, where he built his career, raised a family, and left an indelible mark on the lives of hundreds of children.
After a brief but proud stint of service in the United States Air Force, Lou built a distinguished career as a financial controller, applying the same precision, diligence, and methodical care to his professional life that defined everything he did. He met the love of his life, Sue, at Dome Laboratories in New York City in 1966, and within two months knew she was the one, expressing it in his own words: "There is such a warm happy feeling in knowing that you're in love and the girl you love loves you as much." They were married in October 1967 and remained devoted partners for nearly 59 years, sharing a life built on adventure, laughter, and an unshakeable bond.
Lou's greatest legacy was not measured in ledgers but in the lives he transformed through unselfish service. Joining the Bergenfield Little League in 1981, he went on to coach and manage children across five divisions, eventually serving as President, Treasurer, Division Administrator, and financial advisor. Recognizing that a constituency of young people had been left without a place in the game he loved, Lou established the Bergenfield Challenger Division in 1991, Little League's adaptive program for children with intellectual and physical disabilities, ages 4 to 18. He ran the baseball league with devotion for 25 seasons, opening doors to players from neighboring towns that had no program of their own. Lou instituted a scholarship awarded each year to a Little League graduate in their senior year. In 2015, the Borough of Bergenfield honored Lou with a mayoral proclamation recognizing his 35 years of leadership and the Bergenfield Little League presented him with its Lifetime Achievement Award, citing his "extraordinary service" and "unmatched dedication and sportsmanship." Lou's Jewish faith grounded him throughout his life and, in the spirit of tikkun olam (repairing the world), animated everything he gave to his community.
Lou was a man of gratitude and wide curiosity. He and Sue traveled extensively — to Africa, Asia, Europe, and across America — driven by a genuine sense of wonder, returning from every journey with hundreds of photographs of wildlife, wetlands, and the natural world, the fruits of a lifelong passion for nature photography that earned him recognition in clubs and competitions alike. He was a proud New Yorker to his core: a devoted Jets and Yankees fan, a lover of Broadway and jazz, and a man who believed that the table was meant to be shared. An avid bowler who scored a perfect 300 game three times, Lou brought a competitive spirit and dry humor to every room he entered, always with a joke ready and a quiet story to follow. He and Sue cultivated a close-knit circle with four couples, a found family that gathered for decades and remains woven into the fabric of the Harris family today. After retiring, Lou was proud to make a home with Sue in Century Village West Palm Beach, where he developed strong friendships through bowling and coffee, pursued his photography hobby in the camera club, and served on the Wellington board.
Lou is survived by his beloved wife, Sue Harris; his son, Jonathan Harris; his daughter and son-in-law, Lindsay and Lucas Zarwell; his grandchildren, Lex and Eddy Zarwell; his sister-in-law, Joy Seda; and his brother and sister-in-law, Howie Harris and Terry Barizone, and nephew, Justin Harris. He is predeceased by his parents, Charlotte (Maskin) and Julian Harris.
Funeral services will be held on June 2, 2026, at 9:30am, at the South Florida National Cemetery in Lake Worth, Florida, with a gathering to follow at the home of Arthur Goldstein. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes contributions in Lou's memory to the program that was, in every sense, his lasting legacy, Bergenfield Little League Challenger Division (link tbd), or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
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