Eftemia “Effie” Kesasris Wallace passed away peacefully Feb. 13 surrounded by family and friends.
Effie was born on June 15, 1926 in Beverly, Mass., the seventh of 10 children of James and Mary Kessaris. As an infant, she and her family returned to their native Greece for 18 months before permanently returning to Beverly, Mass.
She graduated from Beverly High School and Mt. Ida College, where she studied to be a medical secretary. After graduation, she worked in the psychiatry department at Massachusetts General Hospital, and subsequently for several commercial enterprises.
During college she served as a companion to a prominent Boston woman who owned a vacation home in Boothbay, where they spent summers. It was there where she met her future husband, Bob Wallace, and they were married in 1949. They had two children Robert Jr., and Laura, both born in the same year. Effie and Bob made their home in Boothbay Harbor, and until the mid-1960s spent winters in the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. area. She then worked as a secretary to the guidance counselor at Boothbay Region High School during her children’s high school years.
In 1970 she and Bob bought the Harborage Inn in Boothbay Harbor, which they operated for 30 years.
An outgoing person, Effie loved interacting with the guests, many of whom returned year after year and became family friends. The off-seasons allowed her to enjoy her other passion, which was traveling the world. Despite settling in Maine year-round, she never lost her love of warm weather. She and her husband visited most of the continents, and enjoyed several memorable cruises. She especially enjoyed visiting her daughter Laura and her family when they were living in Florida, England and Korea, from where they would embark to such places as Panama, Mexico, Greece, Australia and Egypt.
She enjoyed sewing cooking and most of all, she loved her family. She made the holidays a special family time.
She was always a happy person, with a song at hand and a kind word for all.
She was predeceased by her parents; brothers, George, Paul, and Kenneth Kessaris; and sisters, Jane Callichi and Smaragdo Barry.
She is survived by husband, Robert L. Wallace Sr. of Boothbay Harbor; brother, Charles Kessaris; sisters, Dina Christo, Ethel Rowe, and Catherine Sigurdson; daughter, Laura Chapman and husband Philip of Boothbay Harbor; son, Robert Jr. and wife Janice of Milton, Mass.; grandchildren, Troy Chapman and wife Emery, who now own the Harborage Inn, Kristie Chapman of Boothbay Harbor and Manchester Mass., Robert Wallace III of Boston, Mass., Anne and Ellen Wallace of Milton, Mass.; and five great-grandchildren.
Services will be held at 1 p.m., Sat., Feb. 21 at the American Legion Hall Post 36, 25 Industrial Park Dr., Boothbay Harbor.
To share condolences, please visit www.hallfuneralhomes.com.
Services are entrusted to Hall’s of Boothbay.
