Paul J Traina passed away on Tuesday, July 15th at home in the arms of family. He is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Mary Ann; his children, Peter of Gulf Shores, AL; Kenneth of Tucker, GA; Jeanmarie Holmes and her husband Dale Holmes of Clarkesville, GA.; Julie Ann (Jae) Cosby, of Gulf Shores, AL; Marie Jensen and her husband Tom Jensen, of Kirkland, WA.; his beloved grandchildren, John Paul Cosby, John Burke, Kelly Burke and Kevin Stake. He was predeceased by his adopted son, James Delehanty.
Paul was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. to Sicilian parents, Pietro Traina and Maria Panepinto, on March 8th of 1934. He attended public grade school in the Bronx, Manhattan Prep and Manhattan College where he graduated with a Bachelors in Civil Engineering in 1955. He later received a Masters in Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan. Paul married his childhood sweetheart Mary Ann Delehanty in 1955 and immediately received a commission in the US Public Health Service. His assignments took he and Mary Ann to Washington, D.C., Camp Mercury, Nevada (where he observed and monitored radioactive fallout from atomic bomb testing - an experience that stayed with him the rest of his life); Topeka, Kansas; Dallas, Texas and in 1959 to the Atlanta Regional Office of the USPHS. In 1985, Paul retired from Federal service after a 30 year career that included receiving EPA's Equal Employment Award and recognition in WHO's WHO in government.
Paul and Mary Ann were always very active in the Catholic Church. After their retirements, they became members of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and began 10 years of service at the St. Francis Table where they served Atlanta's hungry. Lovingly called "Poppa", he was cherished by his family and friends, inviting all to participate in his annual Christian Seder that has been celebrated for over 50 years. Paul's passions also included travel and music, but most importantly, the need to help others.
Visitation is Friday, July 18th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Floral Hills Memory Gardens (Dignity Funeral Home), 3150 Lawrenceville Hwy, Tucker. Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, July 19th at 1:00 pm at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 48 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. Immediately following, Interment at Floral Hills Memory Gardens, 3000 Lawrenceville Hwy, Tucker.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to either St. Francis Table, care of Immaculate Conception Church, or to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 760 Pollard Blvd , SW, Atlanta, 30315.
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