Obituary of Margaret I Martis

Margaret I. “Peg” Martis, an avid golfer, passed away on Thursday afternoon, May 20, 2021.  She was 90 years old (one week shy of her 91^st birthday). Peg was born in East Boston.  She was one of five daughters born to Canadian immigrants, Theophile and Annie Cottreau.  She grew up in Nova Scotia during her early years, and later in Somerville, MA.  She married her husband Vincent in 1950, and they settled in Burlington in 1957.  She worked for over 25 years in the telecommunications division of GTE, first as a quality control technician and later as a department supervisor.  At her retirement, she received an award for having never missed a day of work.

To say that Peg was an avid golfer is an understatement.  She golfed until the age of 88.  Even after breaking her hip at the age of 86, she still golfed six to seven days a week.  She was a member of the Woburn Country Club and played in the Women’s Golf League.  She was on the league’s board, kept track of scoring, and calculated handicaps.  She played on the women’s spring travel team representing the Woburn Country Club.  She also played in the Women’s Golf League at Green Meadows Golf Course in Hudson, NH.  She proudly displayed her golf trophies, including the “Ladies Super Seniors Gross Champion” in 2006, and “Super Seniors Net Champion.”  She accomplished something that many golfers never achieve, a “Hole-in-One,” and she did it not just once, but twice!   Any time she could, Peg loved to play golf with her sisters, son, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.  For Peg, there was no age too young to learn to swing a club or putt a ball.  It gave her great joy to teach her grandchildren to play, and she was always willing to help others improve their game.  A lot of gifts given by Peg were golf-related, whether it was new clubs, hats, shirts, golf balls or prizes she won in league tournaments.  She appreciated the old motto that “in golf, as in life, it is the follow-through that makes all the difference.”

When not on the golf course (the winter season, lightning storms, blizzards…) she was a member of a bowling league in Woburn, enjoyed tending to her house plants and tomato plants, and loved to travel.  She visited exotic destinations like China, Egypt, Israel, Europe, Alaska, and Hawaii with her sisters and children.  She also loved visiting family in Canada.

Peg was a widow for 24 years.  She dearly missed her husband Vinny, but she didn’t feel sorry for herself.  She lived her life to the fullest, exemplifying hard work, following one’s passions, generosity, and an abiding faith in God.  She cherished time with her family.  For all these things and more, she was and will continue to be an inspiration to her children and loved ones.  She will be deeply missed by her family, friends, and all her fellow golfers.

Peg was the beloved wife of the late Vincent L., and loving mother of Bernadette M. Carney & her husband Chris of Burlington, Karen T. Vail & her husband Ken of Burlington, and James D. Martis & his wife Susan of Pelham, NH.   She was the very proud grandmother of Michael & Ryan Carney, Derrick, Scott & Nicole Vail, and Matthew Martis, and great grandmother of Allura Carney, Ava Hixon, Mercedes Vail, and Brixton Dillon.  Peg was the sister of Barbara Herrick of Somerville, Sr. Florence Cotreau, Marianites of Holy Cross of Lawrenceville, NJ, Mary Avery of Lexington, and Geneva De Jesus of Naples, FL. 

A visitation will be held at the Edward V Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON on Tuesday, May 25 from 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.  It will be followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Margaret’s Church in St. Veronica Parish (www.stveronicama.org), 111 Winn St., Burlington at Noon.  Services will conclude with burial in Chestnut Hill Cemetery.  Donation memorials in Peg’s name may be made to CatholicTV, PO Box 9196, Watertown, MA 02471 (www.catholictv.org).