Robert M. Faina

Robert M. Faina was born in December of 1936 to Blanche and Louis Faina in Waterloo, NY. He was one of three children. He spoke of his family quite frequently and shared stories of how both he (as a little boy) , his mom, and brother all lived in the same house with his grandparents during WWII. From 1955-1957, Robert himself was in the United States Army, stationed in Frankfurt Germany, working as a code breaker or what the Army called “Cryptography Specialist.” In 1962 he married Rosella Sequin, and they have one daughter, Lynda Vance. Robert or “Bob” as everyone called him, attended The School of Environmental Science and Forestry, also taking courses at Syracuse University, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in science and engineering. He was always very scientifically minded and so went on to work for Stauffer Chemical and Buckman Laboratories.

Bob loved football and was a Pittsburgh Steelers super-fan. He also enjoyed playing golf and won tournaments in the local New York area. Later in life, Bob would go on to marry Kathleen Cummings and live in Alabama, where he became self-employed. Bob was known for having a quick wit and on-point sense of humor. Despite being a somewhat serious person, he could make one well-positioned statement which would make an entire group burst out with laughter. He was also a skilled craftsman and enjoyed building and repairing structures. In fact, at one point he built his own house near Gulf Shores, Alabama. He also owned a camp in New York, on Lake Ontario. For years, Bob and Kathleen would spend half of the year as New Yorkers and the other half down south. During his New York visits, he enjoyed spending time with his daughter, son-in-law and grandson, frequently antique shopping and having family meals.

In later years, Bob became very much attached to his favorite cat, Nikki, who would follow him around the house looking for snacks. Bob also loved spending time outdoors, especially on his back porch enjoying his lovely azalea bushes. He died unexpectedly on July 22nd, just months short of his 89th birthday. He is survived by his wife, Kathleen Faina; stepson, John Cummings; daughter, Lynda Vance; son-in-law, Brian Vance; sister, Sharon Stafford; grandson, Nicholas Vance; along with many nieces, and a nephew.

He traveled many places in life but in the end, he wanted to rest next to his mom, dad and brother in the town where he was born.

We love and miss you already.