Ermes E. DeMaria, a resident of Needham for 54 years, was born August 28, 1933 and passed away on Saturday, February 29, 2020 at the age of 86 after a 20 year battle with Parkinson ’s disease. Ermes grew up in Newton Upper Falls. As a youth, he studied at the New England Conservatory of Music, becoming an accomplished pianist. In 1952, Ermes graduated from Newton High School and went on to the Massachusetts Military Academy, graduating in 1955, then serving in the National Guard and receiving a commission as 2nd Lieutenant. Ermes had a life-long love for learning and was known for delving deeply into hobbies to the point of excellence from assembling electronic devices to mastering the game of chess. In terms of formal education, Ermes earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Boston University, followed by a Master’s of Science in Chemistry. He fell just short of achieving a PhD from Northeastern University as he needed to focus on his new family with the birth of his son. Years later, Ermes returned to Boston University and earned a Master’s of Education in 1976. Ermes was a dedicated father and was thought to be the first male Cub Scout den leader in Needham in the 1960’s. At the age of 50, he realized a dream when he qualified for and ran the Boston Marathon. Professionally, Ermes was recognized by the federal transportation commission for excellence in the transportation and training for handling hazardous materials, specifically nuclear pharmaceuticals, which was his specialty during the 40 years he worked for New England Nuclear /Dupont Merck Pharmaceuticals.
Ermes is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Donna DeMaria of Needham and his two sons, Eric DeMaria of Greenville North Carolina and Gary DeMaria and his wife Donna DeMaria, also of Needham, as well as eight grandchildren; Meredith Shannon (36) and husband Jake Shannon of Virginia, Courtney Cayer (33) and husband William Cayer of Connecticut, Amanda DeMaria (27) and husband C. Gavin Harrell of North Carolina, Eric N. DeMaria(25) of Tennessee, as well as Luke DeMaria (24), Logan DeMaria (21), Alexa DeMaria(18) and Brittany DeMaria (18), all of Needham. He also leaves four beloved great-grandchildren: Kendal Shannon (8), Keragan Shannon (6) , Bryce Shannon (6) and Harper Cayer (1)
A Funeral Service will be held at Eaton Funeral Home, 1351 Highland Ave, Needham on Saturday March 14th at 11:00 AM with visitation on Friday, March 13th from 4:00 to 7:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations in Ermes’s name may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research www.michaeljfox.org/donate
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Ermes E. DeMaria, please visit our floral store.