Luciano Fernando Farina

Dr. Luciano F. Farina of Upper Arlington passed away on December 9, 2017. He was preceded in death by his parents, Luigi and Maria Farina, and his beloved wife Claire. He is survived by his devoted son Lorenzo, precious daughter Isabella, brothers Giovanni (Mariastella) and Maurizio (Ornella), and brother-in-law Clayton (Becky) Cormany. Other survivors include extended family members in Milan, Italy; Columbus, Ohio; Suffolk, Virginia; Ft. Thomas, Kentucky; and Minneapolis, Minnesota. After earning his BFA in Theoretical Philosophy, Luciano came to the United States from Italy in 1966 to study at the Pontifical College Josephinum. He earned his MFA in Medieval Italian Literature, followed by a PhD in Romance Linguistics at The Ohio State University. Luciano served in the Department of Romance Languages at OSU from 1971-2012. During this time, he authored numerous books on Italian Dialectology, and became the Director of Italian Studies. Luciano received international recognition for his development of innovative computerized methodologies in text analysis, focusing on cross-referencing, morpho-semantics, and syntactical tagging. Luciano was a confidant of the late Italian Senator Paulo Emilio Taviani, and helped translate and interpret the Senator's works on Christopher Columbus. Because of his extensive work on behalf of the Italian Government and his distinguished academic career, Italy awarded him the titles Commendatore, and Grand Ufficiale, the highest chivalric honors for a civilian. His love of history and learning inspired Luciano to help others connect with and understand their own Italian heritage. In particular, his book, Tremosine: Lombard Voices from America, gave Italian-Americans in central Ohio the opportunity to tell their stories. Luciano also served on the planning committee for Ameriflora, celebrating the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World. May Luciano find joy in reuniting with loved ones who passed before him, and peace in the loving arms of the Lord. Arrangements entrusted to SCHOEDINGER NORTHWEST CHAPEL. Please visit www.schoedinger.com to send condolences and share memories.