Family legend has it that he read every book in the Watertown Public Library by the time he attended Massachusetts State College (later University of Massachusetts-Amherst), where he graduated with a bachelor of science degree in organic chemistry and a minor in German. Later, he would earn his masters in nuclear chemistry from Tufts University. He was employed by Hood Rubber before enlisting in the U.S. Army in July 1942.

As a replacement officer during the Invasion of Normandy, he was an assistant leader of an anti-aircraft platoon. He said he was torn about entering the war, as the thought of killing was abhorrent to him. "But Hitler was such a bastard, I knew he had to be stopped," he later said. He was injured in Herzogenrath, Germany, in December 1944 when the truck he was riding in hit a landmine. Hospitalized in England, he spent the remainder of the war as a letter censor. He received the Purple Heart and was promoted to 1st lieutenant, and returned to the states in October 1945 on Halloween.

The silver screw the Army used to reconstruct his foot was a constant wonder to his children, who tried to bring him to school for "show and tell," but he refused.

He married Joanna Thanos, to whom he was engaged during the war, on Feb. 3, 1946. They met when he was 20 years old and she 12, at his grandfather's home. "I liked her, she made me feel comfortable, and she was a great conversationalist," he recounted. They married on his return from the war when he was 28, and she 20.

Retiring from 32.5 years as a professor of chemistry at Lowell Technological Institute (known as "The Poor Man's M.I.T."), the couple hit the road with a fifth wheel trailer to look for a place to retire, settling in Kerrville 28 years ago. Among other things that marked his life, he was a Boy Scout leader, a wood craftsman, an American Tree farmer, a history buff and a voracious reader. Babe built a cabin ("The Cottage") in Little Tutka Bay, where he and Ann spent 18 summers and fished avidly. He would read the Declaration each Independence Day for the tiny bay's celebration of the Fourth of July. He leaves many friends in the Homer area.

In his 60s, his long history of high blood pressure caused by post-traumatic stress brought his first heart attack, and afterward he warned, "Beware the ice cream."

"Plagued with nightmares since the war, and unable to sleep through the night, Babe will now enjoy a deep rest, leaving a legacy of love of literature and poetry, classical music and opera, the outdoors, hard work, rocks and a nice big piece of chocolate cake," his family said.

He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Anna Lavrakas; son and daughter-in-law Robert and Melanie Lavrakas of Kerrville, Texas; son and daughter-in-law James and Ruth Lavrakas of Ketchikan; grandsons Gabriel and Nickolas Lavrakas of Anchorage; daughter Dimitra Lavrakas of Skagway; grandson Alexios Lavrakas Moore of Brooklyn, New York; daughter Faye Lavrakas of Sunnyvale, Calif., and granddaughter Alissa Lavrakas Wilkinson and husband, Ben, of San Mateo, Calif, and great-grandson Jacob Wilkinson; brother and sister-in-law John and Catie Lavrakas of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; and brother and sister-in-law Eleftherios and Billye Lavrakas of Newport, Ore. There will be no local service or remembrance. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Volunteer Services at the Kerrville, Texas V.A. for Hospice Care.

The family invites you to leave a message or memory at www.kerrvillefuneralhome.com by selecting Obituaries. Select "Sign Guestbook" at the bottom of the individual memorial.