James Hages, Jr.

Jim was born on June 8, 1930, in Newburyport, Massachusetts. His father, James Hages, died eight months before Jim was born, and his mother, Helen (Stassinou) Hages, passed away when Jim was only 16 years old. Thereafter, Jim and his brother, George Koulouras, were cared for by their extended family, friends, and the surrounding Greek community.

In 1951, Jim joined the Navy out of necessity and began his Naval career. He completed bootcamp in Newport, Rhode Island and his corpsman training in Bainbridge, Maryland. He was attached to the Marines during the Korean War for two years and also served two terms in the Vietnam War as a corpsman. For the remainder of his military career, he worked in the Naval medical field and retired in Seattle as a Chief Petty Officer. He was credited with 30 years of honorable and distinguished service to his country.

In 1966, Jim was stationed on a small island in the Pacific called Chichi Jima. This is where he met his beloved wife, Shawn. Jim and Shawn married on the island and would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this December. By chance, some of Shawn’s diverse islander ancestry came from New Bedford, Massachusetts, which is 80 miles away from Newburyport, Massachusetts where Jim was raised.

After Jim’s military career, he enrolled in college and earned his associate's degree in finance. He volunteered his time assisting the auditing committee at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church for 11 years. During that time, he also worked for the State of Washington at the Department of Licensing. He finally retired at the age of 80.

Jim was ahead of his time when it came to health and wellness. Because of his passion for health, he prided himself for not being on any prescription medication. The doctors were always amazed by Jim’s excellent health. Jim was an avid runner and jogged into his 90s. When he could no longer jog, he walked in his neighborhood in South Everett until he was 95. He truly believed his dedication to healthy living was the reason for his longevity.

Jim leaves behind the love of his life, Shawn, his son Wayne (Becky), and daughter Cindy Treperinas (Steve). Jim has four grandchildren, Jamie, Katie, Alex, and Kyle, and four great-grandchildren.

Jim will be truly missed by his family and friends. May his memory be eternal.

A funeral service for James will be held Thursday, September 11, 2025 at 11:00 AM at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, 2100 Boyer Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112. Following the funeral service will be a graveside service at 2:30 PM at Evergreen Washelli Funeral, 11111 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98133.