Harry Joseph Sarazin Jr.

Harry Sarazin, of Knoxville, MD, formerly of Barnes, WI and Havre de Grace, MD, died on August 25, 2025 an event he was not particularly pleased about, but one over which he had no
control. The cause of death was being too damn old - he was 90.

Harry was born in Superior WI, delivered by his grandfather, Dr. Joseph Sarazin in 1934.

He attended Catholic schools which ensured that he was appropriately prepared to accept a life of guilt. He went to Marquette University for one year but was asked not to come back because he confused his first year in college with a carnival. He maintained throughout his life that the year at Marquette was one of his best. Harry eventually graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in psychology because he had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. Not wanting to get a real job, he enrolled in graduate school at the University of Minnesota intending to earn a degree in industrial relations.

Near fatal boredom caused him to pull out of graduate school after one quarter at which time he was promptly drafted into the Army (being somewhat less than astute, he forgot about
losing the student deferment). After a bit of maneuvering, he managed to join the U.S. Navy and set off in January, 1958 to Pensacola, FL for Naval pre-flight training.

After pre-flight training, he was commissioned an Ensign on May 9, 1958 and the following day he married the former Marilyn Dauplaise, also from Superior – one of the better decisions he made in his life.

Harry graduated from flight training in 1959 and spent the next four years flying, a job he felt he should have paid the Navy to do, because it was just too much fun. During that time, he
and Marilyn had two children, Ann and Jim who were his pride throughout his life.

In 1963, Harry left the Navy and joined the FBI as a Special Agent, principally because he thought it would be fun, and it was. He spent twenty-two years in the Bureau, almost all of it
in Maryland, retiring in 1986.

After he retired, Harry went to work for the CIA for a couple of years. He was not supposed to mention that, but I guess there’s not much they can do to him now. Harry and Marilyn became passionate sailors after being assigned to Maryland, spending countless wonderful days on The Chesapeake Bay on their sailboat Cyrano. Harry also taught himself celestial navigation which enabled him to navigate in four Marion, MA to Bermuda sailboat races. In 1979, Harry received the navigator’s trophy for winning in his class.

Sometime in the early 90's, Harry started a small business which turned out, for the most part, to be a disaster. He discovered early on that he had as much aptitude for business as for astrophysics and felt that had he pursued the latter it would likely have been more successful.

Harry and Marilyn, and the kids when they were younger, spent every vacation at “the Lake”—a cabin in northwest Wisconsin nestled in two and a half acres of pine and hardwood forest, on the shores of the beautiful Upper Eau Claire Lake – a place that has been in his family since 1931. In 2000, Harry and Marilyn sold their beloved sailboat Cyrano, became Wisconsin
residents and began spending a little more than half of each year at the Lake and the remainder living in Maryland. Harry loved the Lake as he might a woman, and his time there was, by his own account, magic. In 2007, Harry and Marilyn sold their home in Maryland and moved to the Lake full time.

Harry was particularly proud of his Irish heritage, his sailing and navigational skills and his writing. In 2013, he published a book titled, Vasectomy, Fresh Flounder and God? An
Anthology, containing 64 of his essays, some poems, short stories and a few other things. He was also proud of his two beautiful children and five grandchildren, Bradley, Kathryn, Jeremy,
Trevor and Jessie; and of the wonderful friends he made along his journey.

On balance, it was a pretty good run, and other than the business fiasco, he wouldn’t have changed a thing. He was at peace before he died: we assume he is now.
In 2011, he was preceded in death by his beloved wife of fifty-two years, Marilyn.

In August of 2013 he met Grace Fisher. The attraction was instantaneous on both sides. In December of that year they went to Venice, Florida where Grace had a rental condo, and where
she had been many times before. Harry fell in love with Venice, so they bought a condo there in February 2014. In the summer of 2022, Harry and Grace parted ways.
There will be no funeral; he didn’t want one. There will, however, be a party in lieu of a funeral. Family and friends know when and where. Harry was reduced to a few cups of ashes
which, at his request, will be scattered in Chesapeake Bay, the Fells Point area of Baltimore and at the Lake. He loved those places, and he wanted to cover all the bases just in case there is something to this reincarnation stuff.

Harry is survived by his daughter Ann (Bill), son Jim (Connie), Grandson Brad, Granddaughter Katie (Hutch), Grandson Jeremy (Alex), Grandson Trevor, Granddaughter Jessie (Jon) and four Great Grandchildren, Poppy and Henry, and Julian and Isaac.