Francis Anthony Farina, Ph.D., age 80, of Berkeley, CA. Loving father of Steven (Amy) Farina and David (Julie) Farina. Caring grandfather of Lily (10); Alexandra (23), Jeffrey (21), Spencer (20), Joseph (17), Kevin (11), Sophia (8). Dear brother of Maria Farina and the late Georgeanne (Ray) Dezorzi. Beloved son of the late Onofrio ‘George’ andContinue Reading
Francis Anthony Farina, Ph.D., age 80, of Berkeley, CA. Loving father of Steven (Amy) Farina and David (Julie) Farina. Caring grandfather of Lily (10); Alexandra (23), Jeffrey (21), Spencer (20), Joseph (17), Kevin (11), Sophia (8). Dear brother of Maria Farina and the late Georgeanne (Ray) Dezorzi. Beloved son of the late Onofrio ‘George’ and Mary Farina nee D’Angelo. Kind uncle of many nieces and nephews.
Francis received his Bachelor’s Degree (Chemistry) and Ph.D. (Clinical Chemistry) from Temple University. He did his post-doctoral research at Case Western Reserve and served on the faculty of Temple University, Meharry Medical College and the University of California, San Francisco. One of his proudest professional achievements was as a co-founder of ProZyme Inc. in 1990, where he served on the Board of Directors until his retirement in 2016. He was also the Director of the State of California’s Genetic Disease Laboratory from 1994 until 2004.
Francis enjoyed singing and dancing and loved to attend the San Francisco Art Deco Society Preservation Balls, showing off his top hat and tails as well as his dance moves. Francis loved to travel and visited many parts of the world, living in Australia for a while. He visited Sant’Agata De’ Goti, Italy, his mother’s ancestral village, tracing his ancestry. While there he learned of a pyramid near the town and spent time in his retirement trying to understand “Why is there a pyramid in the middle of Italy?” Francis was diagnosed with a form of Amyloidosis several years ago, and it led to his slow physical decline. He passed away suddenly but peacefully on November 16, 2017.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to:
The Amyloidosis Research Consortium
By Mail:
Amyloidosis Research Consortium
320 Nevada Street, Suite 210
Newton, MA 02460
(Please write “In memory of Francis Farina” on the subject line)
Online: http://www.arci.org/donate/
Phone: 617-467-5170
Donellan Funeral Home
http://www.donnellanfuneral.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=2036803
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