On Sunday, May 29, 2016, Gaetano "Gary" Fino passed on to his eternal rest, at Columbia Memorial Hospital, with his wife by his side.

Born May 12, 1919, in Hudson, NY, Gaetano "Gary" Fino was the son of Antonio and Palmina "Pauline" (Petronelli) Fino. Raised in Hudson, he was one of seven children in an Italian family that worked hard to make ends meet. As a young man, Gary found work where he could to help support his family. He participated in President Roosevelt's WPA program, spending two years in the Mid-West building roads and bridges.

During his time in the WPA program, Gary learned all forms of construction, and in his free time, the engineers taught him how to read blue prints. Using these new skills and knowledge, he started his lifetime career as an ironworker and became a member of Ironworker's Local 12 of Albany, NY. He worked his way up to superintendent of G&H Construction Co. and would travel up and down the East Coast with his wife, Merlyn (married 1938), and their two daughters, Pauline (born 1939) and Margaret (born 1945), to work on large construction projects.

In Florida, he worked on United States Naval installations, including the famous "cement" ships. In Maryland, Gary worked on the construction of hospitals, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and Baltimore Harbor Tunnel. In Northern New York, he worked on the Saint Lawrence Seaway and the international bridge connecting Niagara Falls and Canada. Closer to home, he had a hand in all the major building of the Albany Center, including the museum. He was always willing to teach his skills to anyone who wanted to learn, including his own brothers. It was a standing family joke to point to a building and say "Grandfather built that . . . every brick and stone!"

Gary believed in the American way of life and the opportunities it offered. He was a member of the National Guard and served as a Private in the 290th Infantry of the United States Army during World War II. He received two Purple Hearts for injuries he sustained in Rhineland - Ardennes Forrest (Battle of the Bulge). He also received the Cross for Conspicuous Service to State of New York. He was a member of the American Legion with 65 years' worth of membership pins.

Gary was very much a "family" man. He was quite happy to go to work and come home to his wife and girls. He would flood the front yard in Winter to make a skating pond and in Summer it was "home" movie night with blankets on the lawn and homemade popcorn. He was also quite the jokester – he loved to tell funny stories and make others laugh. The Three Stooges were his favorite comedians and his home building projects often included lots of their famous antics.

Gary was also the neighborhood's "Pied Piper," always helping the local children fix their bikes and toys. He would bring home empty barrels for the children to walk on and would make wooden stilts. He was also famous for how he taught the grandchildren how to swim; the non-swimmer would get tossed into the water followed by a child who could swim. Two lessons were learned – 1) this is what happens when you can't swim and 2) someday you may need to save someone! Though a bit unconventional, no child was lost in this process and a memory was made!

Gary's retirement years were marked by travel for pleasure. He and his wife were "snow birds," enjoying the winter months in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Back at home in New York, there were frequent day or weekend trips to Saratoga, Foxwoods, or Atlantic City. He would tell his daughters he was "enjoying their inheritance" . . . another family joke!

Aiding others and fighting for the rights of those less fortunate than us is commonplace now, but Gary was doing it long before it became the norm. One of Gary's younger brothers, Joey, had Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The family could not afford a wheelchair, so Gary found a way to help. He went to the dump and found an old red wagon, fixed it up, and pulled Joey in the wagon to school every day. Gary was often called away from his own classes to tend to Joey's needs. Sadly, after the 3rd grade, Joey was denied an education because the 4th grade was upstairs, which posed a safety issue. Gary never got over what was done to his brother.

Many years later, Gary's grandson Jamie was born with severe cerebral palsy and quadriplegia. Gary designed special equipment for Jamie, including a bicycle (built by Gary's fellow ironworkers) to help Jamie move his legs. Gary never looked at what he did for his brother and his grandson as something special – he saw it as simply doing what needed to be done for his family.

Gary is predeceased by his parents, Antonio and Palmina "Pauline" (Petronelli) Fino. He is also predeceased by one sister, Antoinetta C. Crocco; five brothers, Julius Fino, Joseph Fino, Lawrence Fino, Anthony Giongetti (Theresa), Louis Giongetti; and one son-in-law, James R. Kidder. On his wife's side, he is predeceased by parents-in-law Michael & Margaret (Van Heusen) Navom and brother-in-law Michael Navom Jr.

Gary is survived by his wife, Merlyn (Navom) Fino; two daughters, Pauline (Fino) DeSantis (Phil) of Yorktown Hgts., NY and Margaret (Fino) Kidder of Poughkeepsie, NY; six grandchildren, Katherine DeSantis-Martin (Tom), Margaret (DeSantis) Spencer (Dale), Gaetano "Guy" DeSantis, Phillis (DeSantis) Clermont (Rob), James F. Kidder, and Merlyn (Kidder) Akhtar, as well as nine great-grandchildren, Phillip, Raymonda, and Paul Martin; Dale Jr. and Michael Spencer; Ryan, Matthew, and Nicholas Clermont; and Aldrin Akhtar. He is also survived by sister-in-law Jean (Pascquale) Fino and Shirle Navom, brother-in-law Sam Crocco, as well as several nieces and nephews.

Gary was also blessed to have many loyal and loving friends in his life, including, Mickey and Brenda Aggrippino, Tom Cody, Angel Becker, and the staff and regular patrons of the McDonald's on Route 9 in Hudson, NY.

Though we are all incredibly saddened by Gary's passing from this world to the next, we choose to believe the following: Jesus was a carpenter, His heavenly projects must need a helping hand from a kind-hearted, hard-working, wise-cracking ironworker.

In lieu of remembrances, we ask that you carry on Gary's legacy of helping others by doing an act of kindness for yourself or a loved one. A memorial service is planned for a later date. McHoul Funeral Home, Inc. is assisting the family. For online condolences, please visit www.mchoulfuneralhome.com.