Iliana “Lana” Farina, longtime resident of Newton, died peacefully at home on May 11, 2026, surrounded by her beloved family - just short of her 90th birthday.
Lana was predeceased by her beloved husband Giacomo (“Jack”) and their beloved daughter Maria Cristina Farina, her parents Domenicantonio and Cristina (Randolfi) Bove of Atina, Italy, her brothers Emilio and Giuseppe (“Peppino”), and her sister Enelia (Bove) Caira. Lana is survived by her sister Orsolina “Lina” (Bove) Greco of Woodbridge, Ontario, and her brother Armando of Atina, Italy. Lana is also survived by her son Anthony of Newton, his wife Linda, and their daughters Juliana and husband Chris Ramage, Emma, and Michela, and great-grandchildren Lucia and newborn Charles; her son Dino of Sudbury and his wife Susan; her daughter Paula Farina Pollis of Newton, her husband Ed, their son Andrew, and daughters Nicole and Emily; and her son Michael of Winchester, his wife Kimberley, and their twins Theo and Grace.
Lana grew up in Atina and came to America in 1962 to join her husband, Jack, after being married in Atina in October 1961. The couple initially settled in Watertown where their first daughter, Maria Cristina, was born in 1962. By today’s standards, Lana and Jack would be considered a “power couple” because of their immense love for each other and family, humility, unwavering courage despite terrible hardships, and their incredible ability to create meaningful things from nothing – especially Lana. Anyone who met Lana couldn’t escape her magnetic personality or her cooking - which became the secret to just about everything she and Jack did together, and their family as a whole. Lana’s eternal optimism and faith in God were the pillars that allowed her to overcome life’s challenges and celebrate successes with her family.
In 1975, Lana and Jack courageously set out on their own and started Farina Cycles in Watertown. Despite long odds, the business thrived under their close watch for many years as they established a sterling reputation for power equipment and bicycle sales and service in the greater Boston area, all while the children learned lifelong skills by being involved in all aspects of a true family business. The business continues to grow and serve the community with Anthony, Paula, and Michael at the helm. Dino started his own company, Proveris Scientific, in Hudson.
Lana was a kind, gentle, compassionate, and determined person who was deeply committed to her family and community. She was very proud of her Italian heritage while having deep respect for America and the American Dream. She grew up in Atina during World War II and survived the Nazi occupation of her beloved hometown by living in the surrounding mountains for two years with her family. She survived the flooding of the Melfa River that ravaged Atina, and many other near-death experiences in war-torn Italy at that time. These experiences made her incredibly tough and wise beyond her years, as we all learned by living with her. At seventeen years old and determined to make a life for herself beyond Atina, she went to live with relatives in London and taught herself English while working tirelessly at her relatives’ shop on Roman Road, and helping to raise her cousins Gino, Raymond, and Michael, “her boys” as she always called them. It was during this time in London that the long-distance courtship between her and Jack in America flourished – a true love story given the stacks of letters they exchanged that she had kept perfectly organized in big envelopes for each year ♥ She also picked up many British traditions including tea at 4 o’clock and a fantastic American/British/Italian accent in her speech!
Lana became an indominable force in the family and the business by doing anything and everything that needed to be done, from helping Jack fix cars, to driving the family station wagon full of kids to pick up bikes and snowblowers at local warehouses, putting machines into customer’s cars at the shop, and educating her kids on the meaning of life at every occasion – all while maintaining a household and working to help put her children through school – something she was immensely proud of. She had countless sayings and funny Italian dialect words called “Nonnaisms” by her grandchildren, that they would write on all sorts of things and could be heard in everyone’s dialog. Her mind was as sharp as a tack to the end and her storytelling abilities were unmatched, as everyone saw on full display over the last few weeks at home.
Most of all, Lana loved her family, cooking Italian soul food, and having fun. She particularly enjoyed spending time with her children and grandchildren and going back to Atina to visit her longtime friends and family – including a memorable 50th anniversary celebration in 2011 where she and Jack renewed their vows in the medieval church in Atina where they were married.
Lana and Jack deeply cherished their involvement in organizations that were dedicated to helping the sick and disabled especially the Parkinson’s Family Support Program at the Jewish Family and Children’s Service in Waltham. Lana continued to volunteer in the Parkinson’s support program after Jack died and found great pleasure in their weekly dancing sessions. She was influential in the success of the program and had great appreciation for everyone involved in it. See this link for a video that encapsulates Lana’s love of this great program and what it meant to her: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&si=RRx6KQoczSGm-pFN&v=NGA8bUpWsNg&feature=youtu.be
Because of her deep appreciation for their work and in lieu of flowers, Lana very much preferred and asked that donations be made to the Parkinson’s Family Support Program at:
Development Office
Jewish Family & Children’s Service
1430 Main Street
Waltham, MA 02451
https://www.jfcsboston.org/give/ways-to-give
A wake and celebratory gathering will take place from 4-8pm on Sunday May 17th at Magni Funeral Home, 365 Watertown Street, Newton. Please note: a large Memorial Day Parade on Sunday afternoon in Newton may impact access to the funeral home until 5pm. Please allow extra time for parking and walking to the wake during the first hour.
A Catholic Funeral Mass will take place at 10:30am on Monday May 18th at Our Lady Help of Christians Church on Washington Street, Newton. Entombment to follow at Newton Cemetery.