NICHOLAS L. METAXAS

Metaxas, Nicholas L. Former Massachusetts Commissioner of Corporations and Taxation, Nicholas L. Metaxas, died Wednesday, February 25, 2015, in Port Charlotte, Florida following a brief illness. He was 86. Mr. Metaxas was born in Greenfield, Massachusetts, where his parents, Panagiota (Trifilidis) and Loukas Metaxas, had emigrated from their ancestral home on the Greek island of Lesbos. He was raised in Greenfield in a very close-knit family that included his beloved brothers and sisters Harry, Euripides, Marios, Mentor, Kay, and Helen, all of whom have pre-deceased him. Mr. Metaxas achieved a distinguished academic and professional career in Massachusetts. Following his graduation from Greenfield High School, he attended Harvard College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and from which he graduated magna cum laude in 1950 with an A.B in economics. He won a scholarship to Harvard Law School where he obtained his J.D. degree, graduating cum laude, in 1953. He was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in October 1953 and admitted to practice law in the federal courts in 1960. Following his service as an officer in 1954 and 1955 with the United States Army Counter-Intelligence Corps in West Berlin, Mr. Metaxas began his 35-year career in state government as a lawyer in the Massachusetts Department of Corporations and Taxation. In 1972, at the age of 43, Mr. Metaxas was named Commissioner of the Department of Corporations and Taxation as well as Chairman of the Massachusetts State Tax Commission by Governor Francis Sargent. Mr. Metaxas served as Commissioner until the selection of a successor in 1975 by then newly elected Governor Michael Dukakis. Mr. Metaxas was a leading authority on state taxation and he testified numerous times as an expert on tax issues before the Massachusetts Legislature. When Mr. Metaxas was appointed head of the department, Governor Sargent described him as a man with "energy, drive and skill" and a knowledge of taxation that "few men can match." Mr. Metaxas continued to serve the Department of Revenue as Deputy Commissioner until his retirement in 1991. He and his wife, the former Katy Chrlstodulo, split their time between Harwich Port on Cape Cod and Port Charlotte, Florida. Katy Metaxas was the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Chrlstodulo of Beverly, Greek immigrants to the United States who fled the persecutions in Smyrna in the 1920s. Mr. and Mrs. Metaxas, who were married at St. Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church in Peabody, Massachusetts, shared almost 40 years together. It was evident to any who knew them that theirs was a true love affair. Mrs. Metaxas' death in 2006 was a profound blow to her husband, a loss he felt very deeply until his death. Mr. and Mrs. Metaxas were active members and supporters over the years of Greek Orthodox Churches in Peabody, Lynn, Cape Cod, and Port Charlotte. In addition, Mr. Metaxas was a member of the Alpha-Omega Society, an organization dedicated to providing leadership in the Greek American community, and a member of the Finance Committee for the Town of Saugus, Massachusetts. Mr. Metaxas is survived by many cherished nieces and nephews who will miss him deeply. He is remembered by all as an ethical, hard-working man who served others with great generosity and humility — someone who was always there to help. A calling hour will be held on Saturday, March 7, from 9:30 to 10:30 at St. Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church, 5 Paleologos Street, Peabody, MA 01960. The funeral service will follow at 10:30. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 410 Main Street, Holyoke MA 01040, in memory of Nicholas and Katy Metaxas. Arrangements are by Campbell Funeral Home, 525 Cabot Street, BEVERLY. Information, directions, condolences at www.campbellfuneral.com