Vincent Louis Fighera

VINCENT LOUIS FIGHERA (VINNIE to friends and family), 88, of Crofton, Maryland passed away peacefully in the company of his family Friday, January 27, 2012. Mass and Graveside services will be conducted on Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 11:00am at Our Lady of the Fields Catholic Church, Gambrills, MD. Vinnie was born April 27, 1923 in the City of New York to Luigi and Antonia Fighera. Vinnie was the youngest, and preceded in death by his parents and five sisters. Vinnie completed a scientific course and graduated from Stuyvesant H.S., New York City in 1940. He graduated from New York University in 1949 with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering. During this time he also served in the Army training in field artillery and stationed as a draftsman with the 69th Engineer Topographic Co., Korea. He was Honorably Discharged in 1947. He undertook graduate studies at MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts with additional study at Columbia University, New York City. Vinnie had a long successful career as a Naval Architect and Marine Engineer. Beginning with Philip L. Rhodes in 1942, he began federal service in 1950 for the Department of the Navy at the New York Naval Shipyard, later relocating to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and concluding his federal career with Naval Ship Systems Command, Washington, D.C. in 1979. He reentered private industry as a Senior Naval Architect with George G. Sharp Marine Systems in Washington, D.C. until his retirement in 1985. During the course of his career he was an active member in The Society of Scientists and Engineers, The Society of Naval Architects & Marine Engineers, Society of Allied Weight Engineers, and the National Association of Naval Technical Supervisors. Throughout his life he was an equally active family man, philanthropist, photographer and gardener. He loved dining and dancing with his wife, family, and friends. He enjoyed visiting National and State Parks, museums and historical sites as well as travel abroad. He was a contributor to the restoration of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. He was a life time member of the Knights of Columbus and active in the Order of Sons of Italy in America. He consistently donated time to his church and humanitarian efforts, volunteering as a board member for the non-profit L.I.F.E., Inc. for over twenty years. Vinnie is survived by his beloved wife of 56 years Mary (nee Vigilante) Fighera; his two sons, Dr. Vincent J. Fighera and wife Anita and Louis M. Fighera; and numerous nieces and nephews. Friends may call Wednesday, February 1, 2012 from 2-4pm and 6-8pm at Beall Funeral Home, Bowie, MD. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, alz.org/Maryland.