Martin Charles Ammer

Martin Charles Ammer, 82, of Wakefield, passed away on Sunday, November 1st.

Born in Chicago, Illinois on August 19, 1944, he was the son of the late Charles J. and Dorothy E. (Johnson) Ammer. Raised on the West Side of Chicago he was a lifelong sports fan, particularly of the Chicago Cubs & Da’ Bears, where he fondly remembered working at Wrigley Field and being on the field for the Bears’ 1963 Championship Game victory over the NY Giants.

Marty graduated with a B.S. in Psychology from Loyola University, Chicago, where he was Senior Class President, and earned his Master’s Degree from Suffolk University.

He was Guidance Director and teacher at Malden Catholic High School for 27 years beginning in 1979. He also worked as a counselor at Quincy Junior College and Wakefield, Andover, Waltham, and Salem High Schools.

Marty had been a Wakefield resident since 1973 and was very active in the community. He was a member and Grand Knight for the Wakefield Knights of Columbus, supported Wakefield Little League for over 25 years as a coach and treasurer, and wrote the 50-year history of Wakefield Little League.

He served as Director on the Wakefield Scholarship Foundation Audit board, was past President of the Mass School Counselor Association, and Chairman of the Fiscal Oversight Committee. He also happily stayed at various colleges throughout the US to assist in the AP Reading program. He served the Catholic School Counselors, the Northeast Counselor Association, and the Massachusetts Educational Financial Associate Advisory Board as President, Trustee, and a Board member.

He was a member of the West Suburban Association and was honored as Counselor of the Year for the Greater Boston Guidance Association and North Shore Guidance Director’s Association. He was awarded the Certificate of Appreciation by the U.S. Military Academy. He has been a conference presenter, guest lecturer, and adjunct teacher. He was a lector, a Eucharist Minister and a collection counter for Lazarus Mission Church (St. Florence).

Marty was a wonderful conversationalist and always initiated and kept the party going. His absence will be greatly missed and painfully felt.

Martin Ammer is survived by his wife Marie M. (Overall) Ammer, his three children; David Ammer and his wife Susie of Cincinnati, OH, Timothy Ammer of Ft. Thomas, KY, and Laura Ammer of Austin, TX, his four grandchildren; Elizabeth and Canela Evans, Lily and Lucy Ammer, and his great grandson; Adonis, his two brothers; Jerome Ammer and his partner Jim Machacek, of California, and Mark Ammer and his wife Carolyn of Illinois, his sister Eileen Poole and her husband Ken of Illinois, his brother-in-law William Walsh of Illinois and his sister-in-law Barbara Ammer of New Jersey. He was predeceased by his sister Patricia Walsh, brothers Matthew and Lawrence Ammer, and granddaughter Carolyn Evans. He also leaves many nieces, nephews and extended family.

Visitation for relatives and friends will be held at the McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Ave., Wakefield on Thursday, November 5th from 4-7pm. His Funeral Mass will be held at St. Joseph Church, 173 Albion St., Wakefield on Friday, November 6th at 10am.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at www.stjude.org or the Shriners Hospital for Children at https//donate.shrinerschildrens.org.