The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2022

74 JULY-AUGUST 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL IN MEMORY n Gina E. Barile, 94, a retired Foreign Service secretary, passed away peacefully at the Laurel Ridge Rehabilitation Center in Boston, Mass., onMarch 12, 2022. Born in Boston on Feb. 3, 1928, to Con- stantino and Assunta “Susie” Barile, Ms. Barile was raised a “Northender,” a native of the city’s Italian neighborhood. She attended Girls’ High School, graduating in 1945 with high honors, and then received an associate degree in commercial science from the Boston University School of Prac- tical Arts and Letters. In January 1956, she joined the Department of State as a Foreign Service secretary. Over the next 32 years, Ms. Barile served as an executive assistant to seven different ambassadors in Argentina, Belgium, France, Italy, Jordan, Sweden and what was then Yugoslavia. She spoke fluent Italian, Spanish and French, and worked to become conversational in the local lan- guage at all her overseas assignments. She later recalled that one highlight of her career was at post in Rome when she had the opportunity tomeet the Apollo 11 astronauts, the first to land on the moon. Ms. Barile retired inMarch 1988 and moved back to her hometown of Boston, where she cared for her elderly parents. Between her friends and her extensive Ital- ian family, she led an active social life. While living at Laurel Ridge, Ms. Barile frequented a local diner where she noticed that a certain group of men would dine on a regular basis and discuss world events. She asked to join their all-male group and became a member of the “Romeo” club, or “Retired OldMen Eating Out.” She was admired by those who knew her for her beauty, sharp intellect, efficiency and strong opinions. Her deep Catholic faith remained important to her throughout her life. Ms. Barile is survived by her nieces, Melissa Hoff and Lydia Melech of Apex, N.C., and Amy Justice of Reston, Va. She was preceded in death by both her parents and her brother, Joseph Barile. n AnnieM. Carter, 86, a retired For- eign Service specialist, died on April 17, 2022, in Bethesda, Md. Born near Paris, France, Ms. Carter initially worked as an accountant and auditor for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army in France. In the mid-1950s she met and marriedWalter Carter, a fiscal specialist who joined the Foreign Service in 1963. Ms. Carter became an American citizen in 1966 and volunteered for nonprofit organizations while overseas as a Foreign Service spouse. She also worked for vari- ous companies in the U.S. and co-founded a real estate investment andmanagement consultant firm. In 1986 she joined the Foreign Service as a fiscal specialist. She served as chief of the payroll systems branch of the Ameri- can Payroll Division before joining the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs’ Executive Directorate (EAP/EX) in 1991. In 1996 she spent several months at the embassy in Canberra on temporary assign- ment. She went on to rise through the financial management ranks with EAP/EX, serving in various positions including budget director and deputy chief financial management officer. She retired as EAP/EX chief finan- cial management officer in 2010 with a combined 50 years of government and industry service. Her work was recog- nized by the State Department’s Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards three times, in 1992, 1998 and 2006. In retirement, she enjoyed reading, travel, the outdoors and time with her grandchildren. Ms. Carter was predeceased by her husband, Walter, a retired Foreign Service officer, and is survived by two children, Bruce (a retired U.S. Navy captain) and Celia (a senior government executive), two grandchildren andmany nieces and nephews in both the U.S. and France. n Andrew J. “A.J.” Kopiak Jr., 73, a retired Foreign Service specialist, passed away peacefully onMarch 30, 2022, sur- rounded by his family at INOVA Hospital in Fairfax, Va. After serving in the U.S. Navy for 20 years, Mr. Kopiak joined the State Depart- ment in the late 1980s as a messaging communications officer in the Bureau of Information Resource Management. His overseas assignments included Lisbon, London, Sarajevo, Dublin and Tel Aviv. Over the course of his career, Mr. Kopiak was responsible for control and coordination of telecommunications, information technology and telegraphic programs in IRM’s messaging center at the State Department. He also served as a liaisonmessaging communications officer supporting the Executive Secretariat’s Operations Center onmatters concerning State telecommuni- cations operations with other government agencies and Foreign Service posts. Mr. Kopiak retired from the Foreign Service in 2013 and immediately returned as a retired annuitant in IRM, retiring for the second time in 2020. He is remembered as a great friend who captivated audiences with his fascinating stories. Described by his colleagues as a loyal co-worker andmentor, he was affec- tionately known as “our A.J.” n Thomas “Tom” LeeMarr, 79, a retired Foreign Service officer with USAID, passed away on April 26, 2022, in Lake Ridge, Va. Mr. Marr was born on Feb. 19, 1943, to Bill and Trudie Marr inMiami, Fla. After graduating fromHanford High in 1960, he