Elisabeth Mertz Drake of Newton, MA passed away peacefully on July 25, 2024.

Lis grew up in New York state, the only child of John and Ruth Mertz.

Lis attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology as one of only nine women in a student body over of over a thousand. She received both SB and ScD degrees in chemical engineering from MIT.

Prior to her retirement in 2001, she served as associate director for new energy technologies at the MIT Energy Laboratory. She collaborated with MIT colleagues to develop a graduate course in Sustainable Energy and co-authored the textbook. Her research interests focused on new and emerging energy supply-side and demand-side technologies that might facilitate a transition to a more sustainable global future.

Earlier in her career, she worked at Arthur D. Little, Inc, initially as a cryogenic engineer working on liquid hydrogen refrigerators, and later focusing on the fueling system for the Saturn rocket. She became Vice President for Technological Risk Management and later was Vice President for International Health, Safety and Environmental Practice.

She was a fellow of the AlChE and member of ACS. She was also a member of the National Academy of Engineering and served on a number of National Research Council (NRC) committees focusing on topics as diverse as oversight of the US Army's chemical weapons disposal operations and "Personal Cars and China," a joint NRC report of the NAE and Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Lis's incredible warmth and generosity earned her the nickname "Saint Lis" at Lasell Village where she lived. Having overcome many challenges in her life, she was quick to lend a helping hand to others in need. She will be greatly missed by all those whose lives she touched, including friends, colleagues, and family. She is survived by cousins Leonice Mertz, Mandy Frye, and Carissa Jones, Jean Fernandez and family, and the family of John Mertz.

No services are planned at this time.

Online remembrances may be made at www.burkefamilyfuneralhomes.com