Harold Richard Maag Jr.

Harold Richard Maag, Jr., 85, of Metairie, Louisiana died on January 5, 2023, after a brief and courageous battle with cancer, surrounded by his family. Richard was born on July 29, 1938 to Harold and Eugenia (Duffy) Maag in San Francisco, California. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Magalene (Spirros) Maag, and his children David (Cindy Rabalais) and Diana Maag. He was the best Papa to his two grandchildren, Alexandra and Nicholas and uncle to his nieces Anastasia (Vatranis) Rico, her husband Roger and their children Sofia, Michalea, and Alexia of Kenner, Louisiana; Maria Vatranis and her wife Emily (Bruner) of Gretna, Louisiana; and Catherine Spirros of Metairie, Louisiana. He was also survived by his sister-in-law Monya Spirros and nephew Louis Spirros of Morgan City, Louisiana and cousin Yannis Vassilopoulos, his wife Rachele (Gibson) of Mandeville, Louisiana. He will also be missed by Great-Aunt Barbara Wagner of Fort Pierce, Florida; cousin, Yannis Tzamourani (Angela) and their daughters Jade and Sage of Ridgefield, Connecticut and numerous cousins throughout the U.S. and Greece. Richard was predeceased by his parents, sister-in-law, Constantina (Spirros) Vatranis and brother-in-law, James Spirros. As a young boy of four, Richard moved to Mexico City, Mexico with his parents where he lived for four years. His experience instilled a deep love of everything Mexican—art, music, cuisine, language and especially the people. Richard began eleven years of service with the U.S. Navy while a student at Stanford University with the Naval Reserves Officer Training Corps, after which he was stationed at the Naval Auxiliary Air Station New Iberia as a Photographers Mate 3 where he met his wife. In 1962, Richard began his professional career in marketing and sales for muti-national writing instrument industries. He and his family lived throughout the U.S. making life-long friends. In 2003, he moved to Metairie, Louisiana where he was a member of John Calvin Presbyterian Church. In 2006, after Hurricane Katrina, he became an integral member of the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance program serving as a Volunteer Village Coordinator of volunteer work groups, housed at John Calvin, who provided their skills gutting hurricane-damaged houses and rebuilding them for families. In 2007 Richard was hired as the Public Relations Coordinator for Project Homecoming, recruiting volunteers, working with FEMA, funders and presbyteries around the country. His disaster work with the Presbyterian Church compelled him in 2010 to become a commissioned Lay Pastor of the Presbyterian Church USA. He served the historic Atkinson Memorial Presbyterian Church of Morgan City and the First Presbyterian Church of Bayou Blue in Gray, Louisiana. Richard enjoyed running, completing several marathons, photography, traveling, fishing, listening to music from all over the world, and spending time with his family. A memorial service will be held at John Calvin Presbyterian Church, 4201 Transcontinental Dr, Metairie, LA 70006, on Saturday, January 13th at 11:00 am,. Visitation will start at 10:00 am. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance fund for US Hurricane response. https://pda.pcusa.org/situations/national/ New Orleans Funeral and Cremation Service "Celebrating Life"

Harold Richard Maag Jr.

July 29, 1938 - January 5, 2024