Joseph A. Fachini, 79
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Joseph Augustino Fachini, 79, of 221 Furnace St. died Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2001, at home.
Born in North Adams on March 8, 1922, son of Lino and Mary "Margi" Leonesio Fachini, he graduated from Drury High School in 1942.
An Army veteran of World War II, he served as a technician, fourth grade, with the 184th Anti-aircraft Artillery Battalion during the battles of the Bulge, Normandy, the Rhineland, the Ardennes, and in Northern France and Central Europe. He earned several medals and sharpshooters' awards.
Before entering the war, he was in the GE apprenticeship program in Pittsfield. He returned to GE in 1945 and was a coil winder in the voltage regulator business section, retiring in 1985 with more than 43 years of service.
Mr. Fachini was a longtime volunteer with the Aladdin's music group in North Adams, which won the Ernest H. Rosasco Humanitarian Award in 1999 for its volunteer work at nursing homes and activities for the elderly. An avid gardener, he enjoyed growing flowers and vegetables and received awards for his accomplishments, especially for flowers. He was also a stained-glass craftsman.
A lifelong communicant of St. Anthony's Church, he was a member of the GE Quarter-Century and Pensioners clubs. He was a former member of Veterans of Foreign Wars and of the Bennington (Vt.) Club.
His wife, the former Lucy Teresa Facchetti, whom he married June 18, 1949, in St. Anthony's, died April 10, 1992.
He leaves a daughter, Susan Fachini Misani of Rivolta da Ada, Cremona, Italy; a son, Robert J. Fachini of Pittsfield; a sister, Mary Fachini Rosasco of North Adams; two grandchildren, and his longtime companion, Cecile E. Hebert of Clarksburg.
A son, James Peter "Chetty" Fachini, died May 29, 1976, and his sister Esther Fachini Mirallegro on Feb. 4, 1999.
FUNERAL NOTICE — The funeral for Mr. Fachini will be Monday, Dec. 17, at 9:30 at Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna Home for Funerals, West Chapel, 521 West Main St., followed by a Liturgy of Christian Burial at 10:30 at St. Anthony of Padua Parish Center, 68 Marshall St. Burial will be in Southview Cemetery.
Calling hours at the funeral home will be Sunday, Dec. 16, from 4 to 8. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are suggested for VNA and Hospice of Northern Berkshire or the Patient Resources Fund of Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center or a charity of the donor's choice through the funeral home.