Harriet L. Maffei, 86, died on Wednesday, July 30, 2014. She was born in Gloucester on July 31, 1927, the daughter of Eliot and Lois (Rowe) Lovett.
She was a graduate of Gloucester High School, 1945 and Pierce Secretarial School, Boston. For many years she worked and lived in Boston prior to joining the Foreign Service of the Department of State. She was assigned to the embassy office in Benghazi, Libya, where she met her future husband, Victor Maffei. She accompanied him to his diplomatic posts in Europe, Africa, Saudi Arabia and Australia, where she continued her career as a Foreign Service secretary.
In retirement, she volunteered for many years at the Stage Fort Park Visitor Center, where she enjoyed telling visitors where to go.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by her daughter, Francesca, and her husband Scott Lazev and two grandchildren, Simon and Samantha, of Stratham, NH. She was predeceased by a brother, Peter Lovett.
Her funeral service will be held on Monday afternoon in the Pike-Grondin Funeral Home, 61 Middle Street, Gloucester at 3 p.m. Visitation will be held prior to the service from 1 – 3 p.m. Burial services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory can be made to Gloucester Archives Committee, c/o City Hall, 9 Dale Ave., Gloucester, MA 01930.