Long time residents of this city were saddened to learn this week of the passing of Lydia Walata after a lengthy illness. Mrs. Walata for decades was an active and vibrant member of the civic and political scene in Chelsea. A highly respected member of the School Committee, Mrs. Walata, along with Andrew P. Quigley, Morris Seigal, Liz McBride, Anthony Tiro and Rosemarie Carlisle, helped bring Boston University into the city to run the Chelsea schools, a groundbreaking decision that transformed our decrepit school system and that continues to pay dividends for our schoolchildren today
During her time on the committee, Mrs. Walata was a strong and independent voice, yet she lived by the maxim that it was possible to disagree without being disagreeable. All of her fellow members of the School Committee, as well as the voters who returned her to office many times, had the utmost respect for Mrs. Walata because they knew that she spoke from the heart and always held uppermost the best interests of Chelsea’s schoolchildren.
Mrs. Walata truly loved the city of Chelsea. She lived with her husband, Walter, on Marlboro Street for 56 years where they raised their two children, Kathy, a Chelsea schoolteacher, and Mark, a college graduate who works in the banking industry. She also was a loving a grandmother to Kristopher Surette.
We know we join with thousands of our fellow residents in offering our condolences to hr family. May she rest in peace.