Martha Anne Vaccaro
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution announces with great sorrow the death of former employee Martha Anne Vaccaro at her home in West Falmouth following a brief illness. She was 93.
Born in Hyannis to Anne (Molony) and Edwin A. Walsh, Martha graduated from Barnstable High School in 1948 and Trinity College in Vermont in 1952.
Martha began working at WHOI in in 1952 under Joanne Malkus. While at WHOI, she worked in the meteorology department, one of the few women in a male-dominated environment. Her work brought her to Puerto Rico for research and in close collaboration with the nearby Marine Biological Laboratory. She left WHOI in 1958.
At WHOI, while getting coffee in the Bigelow Building, she met marine biologist Ralph Vaccaro, who asked her on a date at least a dozen times before she accepted. They married in Osterville in 1955 and moved to West Falmouth. Six children soon followed.
Martha returned to work in the 1980s, sharing her love of mathematics as a teacher in the Falmouth Public Schools until her retirement in 2000. She was known for her high standards and her ability to maximize the potential of every student. She also briefly taught at Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Her formal career as an educator only complemented her decades offering tutoring at the public library; her pupils and parents would approach her with gratitude for that work long after they left her tutelage.
Her volunteer work also included helping to establish and teach catechism classes at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church; organizing a childcare system during Mass; knitting gloves for Native American children and children in need; helping to raise funds for the Samaritans on Cape Cod & the Islands; assisting young women who had unplanned pregnancies; and collecting donations or preparing meals for those in need. She was recognized by the Diocese of Fall River with the Marian Medal for her service to the church and was awarded the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year award from Falmouth Volunteers in Public Schools.
She was sharply funny, optimistic and had little concern for material possessions—though she would spring for a nice sweater. She loved to read and was intentional and personal with her book recommendations. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren recall walks to the beach, meals from the garden, math camp, and gifts of books and knitted clothing.
Martha leaves her children: Christopher Vaccaro and his wife, Kathy; Adelaide Vaccaro; John Vaccaro and his wife, Jacquelyn; Mark Vaccaro and his wife, Leigh Anne; and Peter Vaccaro and his wife, Stephanie. She also leaves 19 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; her siblings William Walsh and Mary Govoni, and many nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her husband of 64 years, Ralph F. Vaccaro, in 2019; a son, Tom Vaccaro; and her brothers, Donald, Martin, and Samuel Walsh.
Visiting hours will take place on Sunday, July 14, from 3 to 6 p.m. at Chapman Funerals & Cremations in West Falmouth.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Monday, July 15, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in North Falmouth.
Information for this obituary is from the Falmouth Enterprise