November 8, 1946 – September 20, 2024
Stephen “Steve” Richard Zaorski, 77, of Alexandria, Louisiana passed away Friday, September 20, 2024.
Steve’s heart was enormous and his soul was deep. He was a true artist who met life with passion and left a legacy of beautiful works behind him.
He grew up in Pineville, Louisiana and graduated from Pineville High School, class of 1965. He attended Louisiana College where he majored in art, graduating in 1970. While there, he worked at Caplan’s, and his art portfolio included countless creatively illustrated and hilariously captioned ads.
After college, he moved to Dallas, Texas, where he worked as an artist and Art Director in the advertising industry there. Family ties brought him back to Alexandria, where he established the plant nursery and landscaping business Earthgraphics. He was sought after for his talents, turning blank canvases of grass and dirt into works of art. He “painted” Central Louisiana with his unique combinations of trees, flowers, brick and stonework, fountains and waterfalls. He designed gorgeous pools and patios. His work can still be seen all over town. Later in life, he worked as an independent landscape designer and contractor and was commissioned to design and construct the spectacular garden and stone waterfall of Beau Jardin on Front Street for the City of Natchitoches, directing the placement of every stone. He was immensely proud of it, and it truly is a sight to behold.
Steve was also a fantastic cook. He loved making food for family and friends, and came up with his own recipes, including his famous “Shrimp Z”. He was an animal-lover who put bird seed out on his sidewalk every day and adored his dogs Lillie and Lizzie. He was also a poet.
He was charming, kind, funny, a character, and generous to a fault. He loved his family with all of his heart and would do anything for them. He will be greatly, sorely missed by his family and many dear friends.
Those left to cherish his memory include his daughters, Mikila Zaorski of Dallas and Linnzi Zaorski of Lafayette; his most cherished granddaughter Clementine; his companion and love of his life Renee Matthews of Alexandria; his sisters Eva Long and Stephanie Nagy both of Pineville; and his nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his mother Elaine Baker Zaorski and his father Roman “Ray” Zaorski.
A celebration of life will be held in Steve’s honor with time and place to be announced soon. Those who wish to attend can join the Facebook group called Remembering Steve Zaorski where further details will be forthcoming.