Zen Hajrizaj

Zen Hajrizaj, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend passed away peacefully at his home in Quincy surrounded by family on May 14, 2021. Zen leaves behind a legacy of love, strength, and devotion to his family. He is survived by his loving and dedicated wife of 46 years, Aferdita, his three children Teuta, her husband Mak Beqaj of Quincy, Bardhyl, his wife Nadine of Milton, Donika, her husband Calin Darabus of Milton, seven (soon to be eight) grandchildren Arber, Drin, Tringa, Sami, Lir, Mina, Deia, his brother Ilaz, sister Nazife, and over 50 nieces and nephews across Europe. 

Zen was born on October 19, 1944 in the beautiful hills of Kotorr, a village in then Yugoslavia and now the Republic of Kosovo. One of seven children, Zen dedicated his life to becoming educated to support his family and build a better world for all those he loved. He was top of his class when he received his Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Zagreb (Croatia) in 1968. At the age of 24 he came to the U.S. with one small suitcase and settled in Boston to begin working toward his goal of supporting his family back home. He established his career as a Structural Engineer working on a range of projects all over the world. Dedicated to his profession he took great pride in his work and over 40 years his projects included nuclear power plants, tunnels, bridges, and most notably the Big Dig and the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge. 

In 1971 he met the love of his life Aferdita by chance in a gathering in New York while she was visiting with her sister from Belgium. After three years of love letters across the ocean they were married in Belgium in 1974. Zen was proud to become an American citizen in 1976 and was eternally grateful to the United States for its humanitarian intervention during the Kosovo War in 1999 and subsequent support of a free and independent Republic of Kosovo. 

While raising their children in Quincy, Zen and Aferdita would take the family on summer vacations to Belgium and Kosovo, establishing a deep connection with family there. He enjoyed taking his children on long hikes through the forests and fields of his village. He taught them the value of an education and shared his love of reading, music, dance, poetry, and sports with all who knew him. 

Zen was a humble man known for his kindness, generosity, and patience. He was always there for his kids, helping with homework, projects, extracurricular activities and brought out the best in everyone around him with his unwavering support. 

Zen’s grandchildren brought him great joy over recent years as he battled Parkinson’s Disease for the past 15 years. Their beloved Baba Zen will be forever missed.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to visit with the family on Monday, May 17th from 9:30-10:30am at Keohane Funeral Home, 785 Hancock St. Quincy, MA. In lieu of flowers donations in Zen’s name may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation (https://www.michaeljfox.org/donate).