Published May 7, 2020
By MAUREEN DOHERTY
Robert J. Mauceri
NORTH READING — Former Select Board member and volunteer extraordinaire Robert J. Mauceri was remembered by his colleagues on the Select Board at the start of Monday night’s meeting.
Mauceri, 77, who dedicated 48 years in volunteer service to the town, starting with a sewer study committee way back in 1972, passed away at his home on Sunday, April 19.
Throughout the decades he was a volunteer on the Finance Committee, School Committee, Hillview Commission, Select Board and countless subcommittees. He had stepped down from the Select Board just last May, after serving as a Selectman for 15 years.
A reflective moment of silence was held for Mauceri during the remote meeting. The board has been unable to meet in person since March 9 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which also meant that a traditional wake and funeral was not held and graveside services are being held privately throughout the state for anyone who passes during the duration of this State of Emergency. A memorial service will be announced at a later date to enable townspeople to pay their proper respects to Mauceri and his family.
Select Board member Stephen O’Leary recalled having known Mauceri for 47 years and was honored to have worked alongside him on various board for 27 years. He joked that when they first met, back when he was a newly-elected 19-year-old Town Moderator and Mauceri, then in his 30s, was “already a well-respected member of the Finance Committee and I was his appointing authority.”
While O’Leary admitted to being full of political ambition, he noted that the man he would collaborate with for decades “didn’t have a political bone in his body.”
“He was tolerant, respectful, level-headed, analytical, soft-spoken and wicked smart. This guy was just wired differently. He appreciated the engineering in fast cars, sailing the Caribbean and off Cape Ann, and he was even a Scuba diver. As I got to know more of Bob, my respect and appreciation only grew. I saw him serve on the Finance Committee, School Committee, Hillview Commission, the Board of Selectmen, not to mention all the various study committees and subcommittees, such as the old high school building committee, the J.T. Berry Reuse Committee, the Community Impact Team, Water and Wastewater subcommittees and one of the first sewer study committees way back in 1972.” O’Leary said.
“He did all of this while traveling the world for work, engaging in his kids’ activities, and being a loving husband, devoted son, and a doting and proud father and grandfather.”
O’Leary added that he admired Mauceri’s unmatched leadership and strong moral compass. “He was the best of listeners. He heard every word; he couldn’t help himself. He had to listen. He had to analyze and he had to offer solutions,” he recalled. Setting aside anything he had accomplished personally, O’Leary said the only time he ever heard Mauceri boast was when he spoke of his family — his children, grandchildren and his childhood sweetheart Angela “and what they had accomplished together.”
“Bob’s contributions are unmatched. We are a far better community because of Bob’s tireless efforts and contributions. To Angela and his children and grandchildren, we share in your loss and appreciate you sharing Bob with us,” O’Leary said.
Select Board member Rich Wallner said he had known Mauceri for about 10 years. “Everything Steve said is true. I have always been amazed at his ability to be rational. He pursued issues, but he never owned them to the point where it would get him upset personally. He focused on the facts. He listened to people,” Wallner recalled.
“…You will never see someone like Bob Mauceri again in our town, the same way we’ll never see Tom Brady again. The level of his dedication and service is just beyond what any of us will ever see again… He gave me time when we were transitioning. I took over his seat officially and I’ll never fill his shoes. If I get 10 percent (done) of what he did I will consider it a huge success,” Wallner added.
“When I first heard of Bob passing, it saddened me because we are on a Zoom meeting right now and we are in a COVID-19 environment,” commented Select Board member Andrew Schultz. “If Bob had a wake there would be lines to Middleton of people there to pay their respects. If we had a meeting tonight at Town Hall, there would be people overflowing in public comment in the hallway. Bob is a legend in North Reading. He served in every capacity known to man in our town. I only had the opportunity to serve with him for two years, but I found him to be selfless and kind and his institutional knowledge was second to none. Bob did not have an agenda. Bob just always did what he thought was best for North Reading. I am really saddened by his passing…he deserves more right now but we can’t, because of COVID-19, get together and honor him and respect him the way he deserves it. I hope there will be a time that we can do that.”
“How many dinners did he miss with his family or events for his children because he was serving the town?” Schultz added. “Bob, may you rest in peace and to Angela and Bob’s family, God bless.”
Select Board member Liane Gonzalez said that while she had not served on the Select Board with Mauceri, she had met him and his wife while serving on another committee together. “They are just beautiful people; it’s such a shame that we can’t honor him the way that we would have, and I hope that that day will come,” she said, recalling how he had reached out to offer her assistance when she was elected to the board last year and was generous with his time.
Select Board Chairwoman Kathryn Manupelli said she appreciate all of the remarks by her colleagues. “This was a man who was honorable, he was decent, altruistic in his motives. The entire town has benefited from all of his efforts and his service,” she said.
“One of my greatest privileges so far, in addition to serving with him, was to host the evening that we had for him when we thanked him for his service,” Manupelli added.
