Praciticed law for over 50 years
Published in the December 3, 2015 edition
READING — Marguerite M. Pettepit, of Saugus, formerly of North Reading and Quincy, died Nov. 22, 2015. Marguerite was born in Quincy on June 25, 1929, the daughter of Florence H. (Steen) Pettepit and Joseph F. Pettepit. She graduated from North Quincy High School in Quincy in 1947. After graduating from Calvin Coolidge College, she went on to Portia Law School, known today as the New England School of Law, and graduated in 1952 as Valedictorian of her class. At that time, Marguerite was one of only a small number of women who were licensed to practice law in Massachusetts. After passing the Bar, she experienced great difficulty in finding employment as an attorney because she was a woman. She, nevertheless, refused to be deterred in her efforts – a lifelong trait.
She joined Ernest L. Nigro of Reading and became a founding partner of the Wakefield law firm, Nigro, Pettepit & Lucas, LLP. For over 50 years, Marguerite worked tirelessly to serve her clients. During this time, she was highly sought after as a zealous divorce and family law attorney and was recognized as a formidable adversary in the courtroom. In addition to her law practice, another of Marguerite’s great passions was ice dancing.
She ably passed all of her tests and was a member of the Skating Club of Boston. She was also a member and an instructor at the Cambridge Skating Club where she enthusiastically taught ice dancing and organized the annual ice show. She was a voracious reader, an avid traveler and an animal lover. Marguerite was devoted to her family.
In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her brother, Joseph “Sonny” Pettepit and her sister, Florence Griffith. Marguerite was the devoted mother of Karen M. Dunton and her significant other, Peter J. O’Callaghan of Wakefield; loving grandmother of Andrew J. Cole and his significant other Cara Baker and Jenevieve M. Cole. Marguerite was the loving great-grandmother of Anthony, Olivia and Jayson and cherished aunt of Mark Griffith and Laurie Griffith, both of West Virginia. Marguerite leaves many lifelong friends and colleagues who will miss her greatly.
A visitation was held at the Douglass, Edgerley & Bessom Funeral Home, 25 Sanborn St. (corner of Woburn Street), Reading, on Monday, Nov. 30. Funeral services and burial were private at the request of the family. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Marguerite’s memory to the Melrose Humane Society, P. O. Box 760668, Melrose MA 02176. www.johnbdouglassfuneralhome.com.
