A sad goodbye…
The other day I received news that our former mechanic, Faro
Lanuza passed away on August 8, 2014 after a brief illness. Faro was the best
mechanic I had ever worked with, and a very special person who I and the staff
will always remember warmly.
Years ago, before he retired, I wrote the following article
about Faro for the club bulletin board and newsletter. I’d like to share it once more.
Faro
Lanuza is our mechanic and shop supervisor. Anymore, repairing equipment is no
longer tightening bolts and changing oil – although there are times for that
need, equipment technology has advanced the trade into electronics, computers,
and hydraulics, that require skills and knowledge far beyond knowing wrenches.
Faro
was born in the Philippines of Spanish parents who emigrated there from Spain. He attended and graduated high school in Iriga City,
and then moved to Manila
where he worked his way through college employed at an electronics manufacturing
plant. He first attended Mapua Institute of Technology, and transferred to Feati University,
graduating with a degree each in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering.
After
graduation Faro was recruited by many manufacturing companies to work for them,
and over time, held many positions in these competing companies as plant
supervisor, production supervisor, head of engineering and production, head of
manufacturing design, etc. During these years, he also began his own
engineering/electrical/ mechanical design consultant company, and later moved
to Saudi Arabia
to run a container manufacturing plant.
In
1986 Faro took time off from his career to visit relatives in the United States, and after touring the country,
decided to stay here, settling in West
Virginia, and starting a home improvement/ home
construction company. On a job in Brigantine, he met his future wife, and after
marriage settled in Galloway
Township. During this
period, at the urging of a friend, Faro appeared as a performer in the Broadway
production of “Oklahoma”.
In 2001 he became a United States
citizen, disbanded his construction company and began a construction equipment
repair business in Galloway.
Wanting
to do something new, he came to Greate
Bay in 2002, where he has
used every bit of his knowledge and experience to help us do our best. Faro,
who we nicknamed “Einstein”, can fix anything! And if he doesn’t like how
something is made or works, he fabricates his own designs and parts to make
them better. We could not do the things we do without Faro – he is special, and
is arguably the most important person on our staff!
Faro
lives in Galloway Township with his wife Prudence ( nurse at the Atlantic City
Medical Center), and his teenage son. Faro is very active in many church organizations,
sings for his church, plays piano, organ, violin, and harmonica, and is known
to sing karaoke now and then!
