PETER FARAGO

FARAGO, PETER. (March 31, 1922 - February 21, 2010) Peter Farago, 87, of Key Biscayne, Florida and Little Compton, Rhode Island, died at his home in Florida on Sunday after a brief illness. He was born in Oradea, Romania, the third child of Aladar Farago and Margaret Berger. He was predeceased by his brothers Paul and Steve. His extended family fell victim to the brutal Hungarian-Nazi exterminations of WWII. He endured 1-1/2 years of forced labor; despite the odds, he escaped. He returned home very briefly after the liberation. Seeing no future there, he determined to inform and aid other survivors. Able to speak five languages, and blessed with good looks and charm, he was an asset to the U.S. military and its agencies providing refugee aid to dispossessed victims from the continent. At that time, in Munich, he met his future loving wife, Daphne Arcus, of Johannesburg, who had gone there for the same cause. In 1948, he entered the U.S. on a military ship docking at Brooklyn, NY. Bearing a Hillel grant, he enrolled at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence. He waited tables for extra money, and earned a B.S. in Textile Engineering in 1952. In 1951, while working at a summer job in the Catskills, he married Daphne. They made their home and raised three sons in Providence. In 1954 he established New England Printed Tape Co. (NEPTCO), in Pawtucket, proving a reliable and innovative supplier to the insulated wire & cable manufacturing industry during 34 years of ownership. Under his leadership, the company expanded in Lenoir and Granite Falls, North Carolina and Ontario, Canada. He also resided for a time in Marathon and Key West, FL, where he enjoyed flats fishing in Florida Bay and welcomed visits from friends, children and grandchildren. He was a kind man, generous of heart, helpful to many over the course of his life. His beneficiaries included youth soccer, private education, the arts, collections, community, and innumerable individuals and charitable organizations. He served on the board of trustees of RISD and of Miriam Hospital in Providence. He was a world traveler, and a student of history and civilization, with a keen understanding of and interest in human nature and current events. He died an American, ever-cherishing the liberty provided by his beloved adopted homeland. He is survived by his wife Daphne, of Key Biscayne and Little Compton; sons Alan, of Coral Gables, FL; Paul, of Asheville, NC; and Robert, of Providence, RI; and nine grandchildren. He had a witty, dry sense of humor and enjoyed the turn of a phrase. Many sought his good advice; it was oft-accompanied by the admonition: "It is better to be lucky than smart." He will be missed dearly by all who knew him. Condolences: Daphne Farago, 445 Grand Bay Drive, Key Biscayne, FL 33149. A gathering in honor of Peter Farago and to scatter his ashes in the Sakonnet River will be held this summer in Little Compton. View this Guest Book at www. MiamiHerald.com/obituaries.