Lou Maffei Passes Away

Louis Francis "Lou" Maffei, 94, of Reading, passed away on April 12.

He was the husband of the late Jean E (Berlo) Maffei with whom he shared over 42 years of marriage. He is survived by his son, Louis K Maffei of Gloucester; daughter Kathryn L Maffei and her husband, Joe Randolph, of Winchester; and son Gary P Maffei and his wife, Betty Maffei, of Londonderry, NH, as well as his step-children, Lynn Ellis-Spicer and her husband Lenny of Methuen; David Ellis and his wife Jessie of Lynn; and Karen Russman and her husband Ken of Plainfield, IL. He was the former husband of the late Kathryn A (Morris) Maffei of Reading. He is also survived by five grandchildren, four step-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. He was raised in Medford by the late Louis P Maffei and Annette B (Celata) Maffei, and he lived in Reading for nearly 50 years. Born on February 29, 1924, Lou was a proud “leap-yearling”!

Lou enlisted in the US Navy in 1943 and served as an aviation radioman and air gunner until 1946. He was proud to be a WWII veteran and showed his support for US veterans in many ways.

In 1950, Lou graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and, in 1961, he achieved the designation of Registered Professional Engineer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In 1979 he joined H.W Lochner, Inc. as Project Manager for its Boston office and, in 1984, was promoted to Senior Associate. He worked at H.W Lochner until he retired in 1991. Mr. Maffei’s civil engineering career spanned 41 years and focused on the design and construction of complex highway and bridge projects in Massachusetts and other New England states. His projects included sections of I-93, I-91,I-190, I-95, and Boston’s Central Artery project unofficially known as the “Big Dig.”

In his spare time, Lou enjoyed being an active member of the Yankee POCI (Pontiac Oakland Club International) club. His beautiful 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix won many awards and trophies over the years. He also was an avid 30s, 40s and 50s era jazz music enthusiast and he continued to attend jazz concerts up until the last few months of his life.

Visiting hours will be held on Thursday, April 19 at the Douglass, Edgerley and Bessom Funeral Home 25 Sanborn St. (corner of Woburn St.), Reading, from 4-8 pm. A funeral service will be held on Friday, 11 am at the First Congregational Church of Reading, 25 Woburn St. Burial with military honors will follow at Wood End Cemetery, Reading. Contributions may be made in Lou’s memory to the Prostate Cancer Foundation www.pcf.org and/or National Veterans Foundation https://nvf.org/veterans-donations.