Silvio Farina, 88, veteran and businessman
Silvio Paul Farina Jr., a decorated World War II veteran and longtime businessman, died Sunday at his Braintree home. He was 88.
Mr. Farina was born in Braintree and lived most of his life there. He joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in New Hampshire during the Depression. Among other projects, he helped build a bridge in Campton, N.H. He also worked at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Mr. Farina joined the Army Air Corps. While en route to a bombing run at the Ploesti oil fields in Romania in 1944, his B-24 Liberator was shot down over Austria. He parachuted from the plane and was one of five survivors from the 10-man crew.
Suffering severe back injuries, face burns, and frostbite, Mr. Farina was taken prisoner and held for the rest of the war. He was honorably discharged with the rank of staff sergeant and was awarded the Purple Heart and the Air Medal with silver and bronze oak leaf clusters.
After the war, he married Cornelia (D'Alfonso), who recalled sharing the postwar euphoria with him. They saw Miss America in New Jersey at a party after he was discharged. "They had a big dance, and there was a lot of servicemen," she said. "We had a wonderful time."
Mr. Farina then started a kitchen cabinet and bathroom-vanity company in Holbrook with his brother, called Farina Bros. Inc. He was also a director of the Holbrook Cooperative Bank.
Mr. Farina loved reading, gardening, and talking to people. "He was a very easy person to get along with," his wife said.
He loved to listen to music, especially songs by the Italian singer Andrea Bocelli.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Farina leaves two sons, Paul and Mark, both of Braintree; a sister, Marie LaPole Novak of Iowa; three granddaughters and two great-grandchildren.
A funeral Mass will be said today at 10:30 a.m. in St. Francis of Assisi Church in Braintree. 