PELHAM, NH - Lorraine G. "Lori" (Nadeau) Martakos, 59, a long time Pelham, NH resident died unexpectedly Saturday December 13, 2008 at her home. She was the wife of the late Martin P. "Marty" Martakos.
Born in Lawrence on June 26, 1949, she was the daughter of Roland and Lorraine (Chasse) Nadeau of Homassa, FL. She received her education and graduated from the Presentation of Mary Academy in Lawrence.
Mrs. Martakos had been employed for 29 years as a Private Foundation Specialist by Wilmer Hale LLP in Boston.
She was a member of the Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church in Lowell and was a member of the Ladies Philoptohos at the church.
In her free time she enjoyed gardening, reading, her animals and time spent in the company of her grand nieces and nephews swimming or any outdoor activities.
In addition to her parents she is survived by a brother Kenneth Nadeau of Homassa, FL; many aunts including Lucy Jamieson of Windham, NH; many nieces and nephews including Danielle Garcia of Methuen, Lisa Amar of Marblehead, Kenneth Nadeau of Miami, FL, Matthew Nadeau of Lawrence and a member of the Lawrence Fire Department and Tracy DaSilva and her husband Steve of Windham, NH; many grand nieces and grand nephews including JP DaSilva of Windham; two Godchildren Alexandra Martakos of Gloucester and Joseph Martin DaSilva of Windham; many cousins including her best friend and cousin Dianna Peabody and her husband John, Kaitlynn Peabody and Donna Angrove all of Windham, NH her father-in-law and mother-in-law Paul and Alice Martakos of Salem, NH; a brother-in-law Lewis Martakos; and dear friends and colleagues Martin Kaplan and Arthur Garfunkel.
Friends may call at DRACUT FUNERAL HOME 2159 Lakeview Avenue, DRACUT, on Wednesday from 4 until 8 PM. Her Funeral will be held from the funeral home on Thursday at 10 AM followed by her Funeral Service at 11 AM in Transfiguration Greek Orthodox, Clark St., Lowell. Interment in Gibson Cemetery, Pelham, NH. Those who wish may make memorial contributions in her name to Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church Clark St., Lowell, MA 01854.
IN REMEMBRANCE OF LORI MARTAKOS
DECEMBER 18, 2008
MARTIN S. KAPLAN
We gather today to mourn and remember Lori Martakos. But we also celebrate her life and her successes too. She was a loving family member, a caring friend and co-worker, and in my case, my partner in providing legal advice and counsel to the many clients at Hale and Dorr and WilmerHale whom we served together. I still remember the day I first interviewed her in January 1981. She walked into my office carrying a lawyer’s briefcase, dressed professionally, with a beautiful smile and all the confidence in the world, a fitting prelude to the 28 years we worked together, during which time she brought her unique strengths and abilities to our law firm, to our clients, and to my family and me.
Lori was an amazingly talented secretary, Executive Assistant, Practice Manager of the Corporate Department, and Private Foundation Coordinator. She had the ability to work directly with clients, partners, attorneys and others with a direct, honest, dynamic, and confident manner. Clients and others sought her advice, and often my clients would relay issues to me through her. Lori could recognize what was important, and what only seemed to be important. She became the confidante and close friend to a few lucky clients whom we served together for many years.
Not only did I trust Lori, but so did my clients. She handled sensitive discussions for some of them and their staff, and managed the checkbook for others. Her accuracy was astounding. Once a year an accountant would come and go over the bills and checks, and in over 20 years, never found an error!
Lori could also read peoples’ minds, at least mine. I would say something like the following: “Where is that file that relates to, you know, that subject that we were discussing last week for Bob, remember?” And she would say, “Oh, you mean…,” and then describe the matter and retrieve the right file. How she would know what I was talking about is beyond me, since obviously, I didn’t know.
As I informed clients and friends of her passing, and as people at WilmerHale learned the sad news, I have been overwhelmed by the many expressions of profound loss from our clients and those who worked with her. Here are a few comments that reflect these feelings:
One client: “She was so very gracious and helpful to us and we were very fortunate to have worked with her. She was one of the most talented and skillful people we have encountered over the years. You could tell she took such pride in her work and we all sensed that she wanted to meet high standards. She was indispensable.”
Another client: “Lori was like family to me. She possessed charm and wit, while being the most sophisticated Executive Assistant in her field that I have ever dealt with. She was savvy, loyal and sensitive.”
One friend referred to her as “the Boss,” and said “I fondly remember the lion who stood at the gates of your office on State Street.” In fact, she lovingly called me “Boss,” and I sometimes called her the same thing! We had fun working together, with lots of banter back and forth – someone in Hale and Dorr called it the “Marty-Lori Show.”
Lori was a special friend to Art and Kim Garfunkel. For 28 years she was their confidante, advisor and aide. Art said he was always touched by “the beautiful sound of her voice on the phone,” and said that “she was classy, highly professional, and cared deeply about his family and him.” To celebrate Lori’s 25th anniversary at the firm, Wendy and I invited her to a weekend in New York with dinner with our children, theatre, and a concert and loving time with the Garfunkel family.
Lori and I also profoundly respected each other. We shared our joys and our problems, serious illnesses in our families, and the loss of loved ones. Lori was perhaps the sister I never had; and was close to my parents, to Wendy and to all our children. She was one of those rare people who did many acts, large and small, that brought comfort and joy to others – acts of grace that Lori did from her heart.
My son Jon gratefully remembers that she calmly typed his entire college senior honors’ thesis the day before it was due because his word processor had crashed that morning. Another example of her devotion and support of our family.
My daughter Shira reminded me that when she was young, she would call me at the office frequently, sometimes every day, and Lori always greeted her with warmth and friendliness, and no sign of annoyance. No matter who I was with, or how busy I was, Lori always put Shira’s calls through, as she did calls from all of the children.
My son Ben recalled the beautiful smile, the beautiful voice, and what a beautiful person she was. He said “when I was little, entering Hale and Dorr was kind of daunting. All those adults in suits. She was like a beacon of sunshine. I always enjoyed watching you two work together. She was wonderful, had a good sense of humor, but was serious about her job. Interactions between the two of you were easy, positive, goal oriented, and quick. Looking back, now that I am working, it must have been great. She is one of the nicest people I have ever known, a good friend of yours and of our family.”
Lori was popular at Hale and Dorr, a lively figure in the life of the firm, and in times of difficulty many friends in the firm demonstrated how much they cared about her, and the firm itself was very supportive. To Hale and Dorr, now WilmerHale, thank you from all of us.
I relied on Lori for all kinds of advice, including the drafting of my letters. She would often suggest edits, pointing out that I had just used that phrase in the prior paragraph, and felt free to challenge me: “Do you really want to say that?”
She particularly loved working on my speeches and giving me commentary about them, whether they related to public education, environmental issues, or inter-religious dialogue. Her suggestions were always thoughtful and constructive. She took great pride in working with me on the speech I delivered as the leader of an American Jewish Committee delegation that met with His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew II, at the Phanar, in Constantinople several years ago.
How fitting and sad that the very last letter she drafted for me was to the Most Reverend Metropolitan John of Pergamon, in which I accept his invitation for my wife Wendy and me to join Patriarch Bartholomew for a Nile River voyage this coming May which will focus on religion and environment. I received this draft as the last email Lori sent me last Friday. Since then, I have changed the letter and sent it out two days ago. In my final version of the letter to Metropolitan John of Pergamon, I mentioned Lori’s passing and her commitment to the Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church, and I asked him to remember Lori in his prayers, as we will all do too.
Lori was a part of Wendy’s and my family and the WilmerHale family, as she was of your families too – a remarkable person who cared for others in many acts and gestures of support and love. All of our lives would be poorer if she had not been our friend and colleague. We have all lost a truly special friend.