Harri Ilmari Eloranta, 60, of Jacksonville, Florida, passed away, Friday morning in the comfort of home, in the loving care of his family.
A celebration of life service will be held Monday, March 11th at Evergreen Cemetery Funeral Home and Crematory, 4535 Main St N, Jacksonville, FL 32206. Viewing will begin at 1:00 PM and the funeral service will start at 2:00 PM. Following immediately after the service, Harri Eloranta will be laid to rest within close proximity of the viewing and funeral service, which is also located within Evergreen Cemetery.
Harri was born January 9, 1959 in Nokia, Finland to Keijo and Kerttu Eloranta. He completed his secondary schooling in Mechanical Engineering and university education in Swedish Taxation. Following his education, Harri served in the Swedish Military as a member of special forces, an elite team, as a demolition expert. In 1987, he attended Florida International University in Miami, Florida to learn English, where he met is former wife, Marilyn Eloranta. They married in 1988 and had two beautiful children, Harrison and Harriet Eloranta. Harri began his career in the U.S. working as a semi-truck driver at CSE. He then moved to Jacksonville, FL with his young family to work as a compliance auditor for PSS World Medical and eventually a contract manager for TNT Logistics. While working and taking care of his family, Harri pursued a dual major in Accounting and Logistics and an MBA at UNF. With his degree, he started his own businesses, Taxes-R-Us, Inc. and Harri’s Tax Advice. Harri loved doing taxes because he was an intellectual that enjoyed the challenge, but, more than that, he had a big heart and loved to help people. His love for taxation and tax law was further demonstrated as a professor (at UNF, Jones College, University of Phoenix, and Webster University), expert witness in the court of law, and former president of the local IMA chapter. He achieved the following designations: EA, CPA, CMA, CFM, GCMA, CIA, CTL, and NTPI fellow.
Harri’s favorite hobby was travelling. He travelled internationally to Sweden, Finland, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Spain, Italy, Bahamas, and St Martin. Including many other international and domestic travels. As a youth he backpacked throughout various countries in Europe, and just in the last 6 months of his life, he made four international trips. Besides travelling, Harri loved to play chess. With over 30 years of experience, he was a fierce opponent. He was well recognized and appreciated for his skill in the chess community, as they are holding a tournament in his honor. Harri was a proud American, known for his love of politics and knowledge of political history. He was always on the “right” side of a political debate. Lastly, Harri loved to spend time with his kids and grandkids. The pride he had for his family showed in the countless days he spent babysitting his grandchildren and cooking Finnish meals for them. He was always eager to love his family, provide for them, and of course, travel with them. He was the greatest father, husband, and grandfather anyone could have.
Harri is survived by his son, Harrison Eloranta, his daughter, Harriet (Eloranta) Vazquez, his former wife, Marilyn Eloranta, his four grandchildren, Emmanuel and Vida Eloranta and Ezekiel and Isaac Vazquez, his mother Kerttu Eloranta of Stockholm, Sweden, his brother Hannu Eloranta of Stockholm, Sweden, along with many nieces, nephews, and extended relatives of Stockholm, Sweden and Miami, Florida. He was preceded in death by his dad, Keijo Eloranta of Stockholm, Sweden in 2004, and his partner Rosemarie Loftus of Orlando, Florida in 2018.
His legacy will continue in the hearts of all the lives he impacted with his kindness and generosity.
3 Comments
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family from the University of Phoenix, North Florida campus family.
Harri was a wonderful person that could bring unparalleled wisdom to his students. He had a genuine desire for his students to succeed and would share with us the fundamentals of accounting and intrigue us with a great story of international travel. Harri will be greatly missed and it was an honor to call him Professor and friend.
Daniel, you described him well. Let me just add a little more to what has already been said. He was handsome, especially in his early years. What most people do not know is that he was an avid reader who never stopped studying people or thirsting for knowledge. No matter what he did he became the best at it. He was a loving father. My goodness, his children loved him.
He always seemed invincible. He never took a down day. He taught me to always put in more than what is required. He taught me to work to the wee hours of the morning and wake up as if it was nothing.
As for intelligence, you could not touch him. He was very brilliant. Besides, he was very generous with his time and money. You either loved him or hated him because he was not afraid to express himself. However, to know him was to love him. I just can’t believe that he has passed over to the other side. I pray that I will see him in heaven.
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