Cover photo for Amerigo Farina's Obituary
Amerigo Farina Profile Photo
1927 Amerigo 2014

Amerigo Farina

September 1, 1927 — November 17, 2014

Amerigo Farina, (known to friends as "Mig"), passed peacefully into eternal life on November 17, 2014. Mig was born on September 1, 1927 in Fontanado, Italy. He lived most of his life in Storrs Connecticut, but enjoyed his last years in a beautiful riverside cottage in Preston Connecticut, He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Katharine Alling Farina, his son Eric Benjamin Farina, his brother Guerrino Farina and his sisters, Elena Biondi and Italia Vannini. He is survived by his daughter, Ellen Farina Gilmartin, and her husband John; grandchildren Jonathan, Nathan, and Sean Gilmartin, and Janelle Farina; great grandchildren Jaelisyah, Jaelani and Bronx Santiago; and many dear relatives in Italy. He will also be missed by his beloved dog, Fido. Dr. Farina was an esteemed professor of psychology at the University of Connecticut, and was much acclaimed for his research and writings, especially on the subject of stigma. He was a much appreciated as a caring and dedicated mentor of his students. Nothing gave him more pleasure than seeing his students flourish. He maintained a lifelong friendship with a few of his former students. He remained involved in with the psychology department for many years after his official retirement. HIs passion for living and learning remained evident for his entire life. Amerigo was only 11 years old when he and his mother emigrated from Italy to Stony Creek, Connecticut. He left all he knew behind, and was introduced to a new language, culture and met his father for the first time. Given the nickname "Mig" by his American friends, he worked hard to become accepted as an American. Using all the natural intelligence he was born with and a great work ethic, he undertook an incredible life journey. Even as he enjoyed success as an American, Mig never forgot his roots. As an adult, Amerigo redeveloped and maintained a close connection to his Italian family and his homeland. He took a Sabbatical year at the University of Rome from 1967-1968, bringing his wife and children close to his native home. This allowed his children to establish their own connections to his Italian family, and paved the way for the connections to be established between the Italian and American family members. These connections are being maintained to this day. In 2007, Amerigo was honored in at an event honoring those who had traveled from the villages near his home to distant lands. At this event, Amerigo presented a fascinating autobiography. This book tells about his life, or "lives", in both Italy and America. Aside from his travels between Italy and America, Mig was always an avid outdoorsman. He started off with camping trips and hikes in Maine and Cape Hatteras, to distant treks all over the world, Mig was eager for a new adventure. Instead of choosing easier vacations as he aged, he undertook ever more challenging adventures. Mig spent a month trekking through the Andes Mountains of Peru (1992) followed by subsequent month long treks through the Zanskar and Ladakh Mountains of northern India (1993) and the Dolpo region of western Nepal (1995). Trekking adventures were alternated with mountain climbs with Mig reaching the summit of Mt. Elbrus in Russia (18,510 feet in 1994) and Mt. Kilimanjaro (19, 314 feet in 1996). As noted by one of his friends on these adventures, "Mig was the perfect companion for an adventure into the unknown with his always positive attitude and curiosity about the life-so many good memories of my travels with him." Two great companions on these journeys were Len Burns and Ed Fischer, who sometimes had a hard time keeping up with their much older companion. These friends have shared many fond memories and great photos of these travels with family, which is very much appreciated. Even as his health started to fail him, Mig continued to appreciate being outdoors. He would sit on his deck and watch the birds and the water near his cottage home in Preston for many hours, even if the sun was beating on him in the summer, or the wind was chilly in the fall or spring, Mig became weaker mentally and physically toward the end of his life, but he also became much closer to his family, and was especially tender toward his little great grandchildren and other young friends. He will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by many whose lives he touched. A wake will be held at Potters Funeral Home (Rte. 195) Willimantic, CT on Wednesday, November 19, 2014 from 5:00pm-7:00pm. His Funeral Service will be held at 10:00am on Thursday, November 20, 2014, also at Potters Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Alzheimer's Association of Connecticut, 2075 Silas Deane Highway, Suite 100, Rocky Hill, CT 06067. For online memorial guestbook please visit www.potterfuneralhome.com .
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