Obituary of Silvio J. Venturi

Silvio Venturi of East Hanover, N.J., died peacefully at home on October 8, 2015. Silvio was born in 1927 in Newark, New Jersey, to loving parents Silvio and Carmela Venturi, and was educated in the Newark school system. He was outstanding in cross country and track events and in 1944 was considered one of the best runners Newark had ever produced, as reported by the Newark Evening News. He served in the United States Navy from 1946 to 1948 and received an honorable discharge. He attended Tri-State University in Angola, Indiana, graduating in the top 10 percent of his class with a degree in mechanical engineering. During his college career, he was a member of Phi-Kappa-Theta, a national Catholic college fraternity. He remained active with the fraternity for many years. Silvio, or "Sil" as he was affectionately known, was associated with numerous mechanical, electrical and electronic societies, both at college and in private industry. He worked at numerous engineering positions in different phases of mechanical and electronic engineering. He later served as a sales engineer, representing both electronic and mechanical firms doing their engineering and sales in New Jersey, New York and eastern Pennsylvania. Silvio was the former Chairman and CEO of Amark Industries, a company engaged in the manufacturing of specialized wire for the medical, dental, aircraft, missile and electronic industries. He was a founding father of the Orthopedic Institute, a non-profit institution to further education, research and treatment, and was its first president in 1990. In addition, he was a former President of the Lions Eye Bank of New Jersey and was associated with the Eye Bank of New Jersey for more than 30 years. Silvio was also associated with the Eye Institute of New Jersey for more than 30 years. He held the position of President for two terms and later served on the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee. The Eye Institute of New Jersey is the Resident Program with the department of Ophthalmology at the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey. In his free time, Sil enjoyed traveling, cooking, and spending time with family. He is survived by his loving sister, Jeanette Cozzone, and brother-in-law, Thomas Cozzone, of West Long Branch, N.J.; his son, Mark Venturi, of Hackensack, N.J.; his nephew, Dr. John Cozzone, of Franklin Lakes, N.J.; his niece, Camille Rankin, and her husband, Clyde Rankin, of New York, N.Y; his grand-daughter, Andrea Venturi, of Cedar Knolls, N.J.; and his loving companion, Joan Argila, of Tewksbury, N.J., and her children, Charles Argila, Jr. and his partner, Sabrina, of Lopacong, N.J.; Andrea Argila and her husband, Joseph Gonnella, of Morristown, N.J.; and Amy Argila-Stock and her husband, Gregory Stock, of Bridgewater, N.J. A memorial mass will be held at St. Joseph Shrine, 1050 Long Hill Road, Stirling, NJ on Sun, Nov 15, 2015 at 1:00 PM Donations may be made in his memory to The Northern New Jersey Eye Institute. Donations made to Alfonse Cinotti; Lions Eye Research Chair, Att: Dr. Zarbin, 90 Bergen St., #6100, Newark, NJ 07103 or Hunterdon Healthcare Foundation, Flemington, N.J. would be appreciated.