James Dracopoulos Drake from Medford, MA passed away on May 5, 2020. James was predeceased by his beloved soul mate and one true love, Elinor May (Silveira) Drake, on November 13, 2015, after 62 years of marriage. He was the son of the late Charles, U.S. Army, WWI Veteran and the late Mary (Psyharis) Dracopoulos, who immigrated from Greece in the early 1900's and settled in Malden, MA where they raised their five children.
To those who knew and loved him, James was a man of many names. To some he was Jim, but to those who endeared him most, he was Jimmy, J.C., Zack or Dodo. He was raised in Malden, MA where he played baseball, track and field. James was also in school plays and was president of his sophomore and senior classes. As a former high school class president, he coordinated many of his class reunions, which gave him great pleasure. After marrying his bride, Elinor, they shared her family home in Medford MA. During this time, he received his Bachelor’s degree in Business from Northeastern University and his Master’s degree, also in Business, from Babson College. He proudly worked as the Corporate Credit Manager for Marr Scaffolding Company in Boston for many years, until his retirement. Even after his retirement, he closely followed the Marr Mirror to get updates on the company he so respected.
Jim and Ellie loved to travel. This included their many trips to visit his family in Cancun Mexico, as well as their vacations to Greece, Las Vegas, Niagara Falls, and their 50th wedding anniversary to Hawaii. He was an avid photographer and has many albums with beautiful photographs of their vacations, but mostly his family and loved ones. Wherever he went, he had his camera in hand.
Jim was one of the last remaining “gentlemen”. He was always so kind, thoughtful, and a great conversationalist; whether it was reminiscing about old times, talking about his love of music and his vast CD collection or talking about his favorite Boston teams. He fondly talked about going to the Garden to watch the Celtics, or seeing the “Boston Patriots” in their early years at Boston University and Fenway Park, but the Red Sox and baseball were always his favorite.
After spending a few years in Manchester, NH, he spent his last year in Vero Beach, Florida, but Malden and Medford were always where he considered home. He touched the lives of many, no matter where he lived, and he will forever be loved and missed.
He is survived by his brother William Dracopoulos of Portsmouth, NH, and his many nieces and nephews of the USA, Cancun, Mexico and Spain, all of whom he loved dearly. James is predeceased by his brothers George and Chris Dracopoulos both of Malden, his sister Helen Pappas of Cancun, Mexico, his brother-in-law Louis Pappas, and his sisters-in-law: Mary Catherine, Terry Dracopoulos, and Mandy Dracopoulos.
Private burial Saturday, May 16th. Funeral services postponed due to Covid-19 and will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jim’s name may be made to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, 60 E. 56th Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10022. For additional information, please visit www.magliozzifuneralhome.com.