Dominic J. Saraceno, pilot, real estate developer; at 81

As a young man, Dominic J. Saraceno seized the opportunity to fly -- and never turned back. Mr. Saraceno, an officer in the Army Air Corps during World War II and a real estate developer, died of complications from cancer on Jan. 26 at his Newton home. He was 81.

Raised in Medford with the hard-working ethos of his immigrant father, Mr. Saraceno went to work at a young age. Lugging heavy sacks of sugar at the Hood ice cream plant helped shape a work ethic that Mr. Saraceno would carry with him throughout his life, said his son, Ted of Dover. "When his friends were playing hockey, he was always working."

After graduating from Medford High School in 1941, Mr. Saraceno enrolled at The Citadel. By the end of his first year -- a year that saw the attack on Pearl Harbor and the entry of the United States into the war -- Mr. Saraceno joined the Army Air Corps.

In July 1944, having completed a flight training program that included courses on airborne commando tactics and jungle warfare, Mr. Saraceno received orders to fly in the Pacific theater as a Glider pilot. A second lieutenant, Mr. Saraceno saw active duty over the Philippines and Japan. He continued serving after the war as a Reserve commissioned officer in the grade of captain.

In 1957, he met Ingeborg Neumann, a professional singer, and within a year, they were married. In 1960, they moved their young family from the Back Bay to Newton, restoring and living in a carriage house that was featured in Parade magazine in 1972.

As a civilian, Mr. Saraceno made his name in real estate development. Getting his start converting Back Bay townhouses into apartments, Mr. Saraceno founded and was president of Kurt Saracen Associates, a Newton-based firm that developed more than 2 million square feet of office space and several landmarks, including the Hilton at Dedham Place.

A lifelong lover of flight, Mr. Saraceno maintained a turbine-converted Bonanza aircraft, which he flew until he was 78. In 1986, he received a certificate from the National Aeronautic Association for setting a national speed record for his flight from Montreal to Boston. Always eager to climb into the cockpit, Mr. Saraceno commuted by plane to a home in Hyannis and was known to fly associates to New York. He was also an avid collector of flight memorabilia.

Mr. Saraceno enjoyed sculpting and made busts of family members and friends. He also skied and played tennis.

According to his son, Mr. Saraceno was an optimist who always used humor to deflate tense moments or difficult memories. In his stories to the younger generations, Mr. Saraceno emphasized the humane aspects of his experiences: finding moments to nap while hidden among the mounds of sacks at the Hood plant, swimming in bomb craters at bases in the Pacific, devising clever ways to cool down a beer in the blazing heat of a tropical war zone.

"He loved young people," said Ted Saraceno. "He loved to give of himself, loved to be in the mix."

In addition to his wife and son, Mr. Saraceno leaves two daughters, Heidi Lawlor of Sudbury and Leas of Deerfield Beach, Fla.; and four grandchildren.

A memorial service was held last month.