NEW YORK – Dr. Charles George Zaroulis, 83, passed away on March 20, the Lowell Sun reported. Born on November 19, 1937, he was raised in Lowell, Massachusetts. After excelling at Lowell High School, he earned scholarships to the University of Virginia (UVA), graduating with an undergraduate Classics degree in 1961 and a medical degree in 1965.

He later became a board-certified hematologist and was an early adopter of bone-marrow transplantation to treat critically ill patients. His long medical career included service as the Director of Bone Marrow Transplantation, the Blood Bank, and Hematology-Oncology Clinical Research at Staten Island University Hospital and various roles in research and teaching with Sloan-Kettering, Cornell, and Mt. Sinai in New York as well as at various Boston institutions.

Dr. Zaroulis proudly devoted 25 years to the United States Navy Medical Corps, retiring in 1995 as a Captain (O6). In service to his country, Dr. Zaroulis helped develop blood technologies important in the Vietnam War and other international conflicts, as well as to blood-banking domestically.

Dr. Zaroulis is predeceased by his beloved wife Dr. Ione Kourides, his parents George and Gloria Zaroulis, and his sister Eunice Zaroulis. He is survived by his children Lara Zaroulis Mattina, Andrew Zaroulis, Christina Zaroulis Milnor, and Peter Zaroulis; their spouses/partners Ryan Mattina, Lindsey Wyckoff, John Bennett Milnor, and MaryAnne Harmon; his grandchildren Luke, Zoe, and Maia Mattina, Theodore Zaroulis, and Alexandra Kittelle and Charles Bennett Milnor; and many beloved cousins, nieces, nephews, and in-laws.

A private service was held in Dr. Zaroulis's honor on March 23. In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations in his honor to the Clarke School for Hearing and Speech and UVA's Jefferson Scholars Foundation.

Outside of his medical practice, Dr. Zaroulis loved traveling, Formula One racing, Russian ballet and literature, French food, slapstick comedy, Boston sports teams, and a good martini. He treasured his home on Martha's Vineyard, his dogs, and having all his children and grandchildren together. He was extremely proud of his Greek heritage, a pride only outweighed by his pride for his wife's intellect and achievements. Although his life took him many places, Dr. Zaroulis, at heart, remained "Sunny," the boy from Lowell who was happiest with a bag of potato chips.