Thomas Materazzo

Longest Serving Veterans' Services Commissioner in the City of Boston's History.

Thomas Materazzo, commissioner for veterans' services for the city of Boston for over thirty-two years, died February 28, 2020, at age 95. Prior to that he served as the Manager of Little City Hall Hyde Park. At Veterans' Services he led a department that assisted veterans in need and their families. Mr. Materazzo was appointed by Mayor Kevin White and served under mayors Raymond Flynn and Thomas Menino. He was a tireless advocate for veterans' issues, which included the decorating of graves on Memorial Day, naming of veterans' squares and aiding groups that sought the city's help in establishing memorials for those who fought in the Vietnam and Korean Wars. It was also Mr. Materazzo's mission to make sure that the local press did not forget that it was the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center when reporting on events that occurred there. The press had a habit of referring to the center as "The Hynes", and Mr. Materazzo made sure that the entire name was reflected when reporting to bring note to veterans.

One of his many achievements was lobbying the legislature to pass a law that required the state to pick up a larger portion of funds used to aid needy veterans, saving the City of Boston over a million dollars at that time.

After his retirement in 2003 he continued to assist the Department of Veterans' Services working a few days a week as Commissioner Emeritus until 2014 when, at the age of ninety, he stopped working.

A combat veteran of World War II, Mr. Materazzo served with the Eighth Armored Division and was assigned to the European Theater of Operations with the Third and later the Sixth Armies. He earned battle stars for the Rhineland, Central Europe and Ardennes Campaigns, (more commonly known as the Battle of the Bulge.)

Like most World War II veterans, he rarely spoke of his service. Family members were quite surprised when Dr. Stephen Ross, a Holocaust survivor and one of the founders of the Holocaust Memorial in Boston, had informed them that "your father liberated me."

For his many years of outstanding public service on behalf of veterans in need and their survivors, Mr. Materazzo was awarded many distinguished service awards from public organizations and agencies. He was most notably awarded the Massachusetts Veterans Service Officers Agent of the Year, was twice honored by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, and was recipient of the AmVets Pilgrim Award.

Mr. Materazzo was well known and respected in the veterans' community and in the city of Boston for his great service to his community and his country.



View the online memorial for Thomas, Materazzo