Lydia Walata
On Cathy Walata Surette’s refrigerator sits a laminated photograph capturing a moment between her mother, Lydia Walata, and U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy. In the image, Lydia stands alongside Morris Seigal, her longtime colleague from the Chelsea School Committee, engaged in conversation with the senator.
Lydia (Belofsky) Walata, who passed away on Sept. 12, 2013 following an extended illness, spent her entire life in Chelsea and commanded respect across every segment of the community. For nearly two decades, she devoted herself to public service as a member of the Chelsea School Committee.
Born on Arlington Street to Russian immigrants Frank and Julia Belofsky, Lydia received her early education at the Carter School before graduating from Chelsea High in 1949. The family later relocated to Bloomingdale Street. Her fluency in Russian reflected her heritage and family background.
Walter Walata, proprietor of the Walata Funeral Home on Washington Avenue, was her husband. Their marriage allowed her to invest considerable energy in raising their two children, Mark and Kathy, with dedication and care.
“My mother was the one who took Mark and me everywhere – Canobie Lake, Nantasket Beach,” explained Kathy Walata. “My really raised us.”
During her eulogy, Cathy Surette offered moving reflections on her mother’s significance in her life.
“Everybody loves their mother but honestly and it’s not a cliché, she was my best friend, especially when my son Kris was born [to Kathy and her husband, Joseph Surette], and I didn’t know anything about being a mother,” she was really like my mentor. I told everybody at the memorial observance that I hope that I was half the mother to Kristopher as she was to me because I had a great childhood.
Both Kathy and Mark received college educations, a priority their parents Walter and Lydia emphasized throughout their upbringing. Kathy attended Chelsea High and Salem State University, subsequently teaching at the Shurtleff School—the very institution she had attended as a student. Mark graduated from Malden Catholic and Northeastern University and pursued a career in banking.
The couple’s son-in-law, Joseph Surette, and Cathy welcomed Kristopher into the family, who at 26 has become a civil engineer and Merrimack College graduate. This young man embodied the family’s characteristic warmth and commitment to helping those around him.
“Education was the big thing and my parents stressed it but they didn’t push it,” noted Cathy Surette. “It wasn’t like you have to get As and attend this particular school. I was accepted to Boston University and Suffolk and I chose Salem State. My father went to BU.”
“The best gift I could’ve given her ever was Kristopher,” Cathy Surette reflected. “That was my mother’s pride and joy. She was an awesome grandmother. Like my parents did with my brother and me, I’ve tried to teach Kristopher responsibility, respect, and not to take things for granted. Things go full circle. That’s exactly how we raised Kristopher.”
At St. Mary’s Russian Orthodox Church on Addison Street, where she maintained lifelong membership, Lydia participated in the church choir and women’s guild. Friends like Carole Pawlak joined her for candlepin bowling and card games. Additionally, she held membership in the Ladies Auxiliary at the Polish Veterans Club.
Her commitment to the Chelsea school board extended beyond formal duties; she engaged with numerous committees and made appearances at school events, consistently offering encouragement to students for their achievements.
“She honestly believed in the kids and tried her best on the School Committee,” Surette observed. “She used to come the first few days of school and help me set up my classroom. She was so proud. She really thought that every kid deserved the same chance at success in life.”
Walter Walata died unexpectedly on Sept. 19, 2013, just one week after his wife’s passing. The couple would have reached their 60th wedding anniversary the following February.
“They were a happy, loving couple who were never separated and were always together,” Surette reflected. “What my father did for mother the past six years during her debilitating illness, it amazed me. He never wanted her in a nursing home ever. He did everything for her. It was amazing how his love for her came out at the latter part of their years when she couldn’t appreciate it.”
Despite having the means to relocate to a wealthier area, the Walatas chose to remain in Chelsea, maintaining their Marlboro Street residence for 56 years.
“They could have left Chelsea and my father could have driven a Porsche if he wanted, but my parents, especially my father, grew up extremely humble,” Cathy Surette stated. “They lived a very humble life and that’s what they tried to teach Mark and me.”
Six years prior to her death, Lydia began showing signs of Alzheimer’s Disease, with her condition progressively worsening in the years that followed.
“It was heartbreaking – Alzheimer’s is a horrible, horrible illness,” Surette shared. “She wasn’t in pain but it was tortuous for the family. Such a strong woman just disintegrating in front of you, it was terrible to watch.”
When asked to explain the widespread affection for her mother—among personal acquaintances, School Committee colleagues including Morris Seigal and Rosemarie Carlisle, fellow parishioners, and voters who supported her in elections—Cathy Surette offered this perspective:
“My mother wasn’t a phony and I started following her footsteps,” Surette answered. “My mother wasn’t a hypocrite. She was really authentic. She told it like it was. She always put people ahead of herself. She always wanted everyone to like her and never wanted to hurt anybody.”
Throughout a long and fulfilling existence, Lyida Walata achieved considerable accomplishment through consistently gentle and compassionate conduct. The substantial attendance at her funeral, including numerous mourners and well-wishers, demonstrated the profound affection and esteem this Chelsea resident had earned.