Felix F. Callari

Family-Placed Obituary

FELIX F. CALLARI Felix F. Callari, President & CEO of the Callari Auto Group, died at his home in Palm Beach, Florida on March 18 at the age of 79. He was surrounded by his family as he courageously ended the battle with pancreatic cancer that he had been dealing with for the past eight months. Coming to the United States in 1954, Mr. Callari worked diligently to achieve his American Dream. Starting as a foreign car mechanic, while earning a degree in engineering, Mr. Callari made his way up the ladder eventually starting his own auto repair shop in Glenbrook, CT. In 1967 he opened his first new car dealership with BMW, Sunbeam and Saab on East Main Street in Stamford, CT. Over the years Mr. Callari acquired other franchises such as Datsun, Sterling, Chrysler, Plymouth, Jeep, Eagle and Dodge, and had several dealership locations in Stamford. Currently the auto group is comprised of BMW in Darien, Connecticut, MINI of Fairfield County in Stamford and Volvo of Westport. Mr. Callari was very involved in his community. He was a former President of the Stamford Exchange Club, a Director of the Stamford Center for the Arts and a charter Member of the Board of Directors of the Norwalk Chamber of Commerce as well as the Connecticut Automotive Retailers Association, just to name a few. Among many awards received by Mr. Callari, in 1998 he was honored with the Time Magazine's Quality Dealer of the Year Award for the State of Connecticut. This prestigious award is given to industry leaders who excel in community involvement and charitable endeavors. Mr. Callari was an avid reader, loved to travel and was a history buff. He enjoyed boating and playing golf. He was a member of the Stamford Yacht Club, Silvermine Golf Course, Birchwood Country Club and The Breakers of Palm Beach. He is survived by his wife, Sylvia of 52 years, daughters, Flavia Santangelo of Wilton and Paula Callari of Weston who continue to run the family business, and four loving grandchildren, George Santangelo, Christopher Santangelo, Cassandra Callari and Samantha Callari. And his brother Francois Callari of Lyon, France. Mr. Callari touched the lives of many and will be very much missed. A Memorial Service to celebrate his life will be held on May 18 at the Fairfield County Hunt Club, 174 Long Lots Road, Westport, CT 06880 at 2pm. Donations in lieu of flowers in his memory can be made to one of the following charities: Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 2141 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 7000, El Segundo, CA 90245, Spectrum Healthcare Foundation, 5300 East Avenue, West Palm Beach, FL 33407, Bennett Cancer Center, 34 Shelburne Road, Stamford, CT 06904. To express condolences and/or make donations Visit PalmBeachPost.com/obituaries