

surrounded by his loving family.
Gil was born in Shanghai, China on October 30th, 1935 to Eduardo Jose da Silva and
Anna Marie Figueiredo da Silva. He attended secondary school at Chevalier College in New
South Wales, Australia and then lived in Hong Kong where he attended King George V School.
He began his undergraduate studies in Tokyo at Sophia University.
In 1957, he emigrated to the United States with his parents, arriving by ship at San Pedro
Harbor in California, then traveled by train to New York City. Upon arrival, he enrolled at
Fordham University and was hired as a credit trainee at Chase bank. After working full time and
attending college at night for six years, he earned his Bachelor of Science in accounting.
On May 29th, 1962, Gil proudly became a U.S. citizen. In October that same year, he met
and fell instantly in love with his future wife, Mary Carol Cromack. Eight months later, they
married in Kingston, Pennsylvania near Carol’s hometown of Forty Fort, PA, and lived together
in Queens, NY. Gil and Carol welcomed their first child, a son, Gil Todd Silva in 1964.
In April 1966, Gil was hired as a treasurer at JA Sexauer Corporation, a family owned
plumbing distribution company in White Plains, NY. Two weeks later, they were blessed with
their second child, a girl, Lee Tracy Silva. Because family was the most important aspect of his
life, he moved his wife and children to White Plains so that no time would be wasted commuting
between his job and his home in Queens.
Gil worked at Sexauer Corp. for 35 years and was promoted to president of the company
by the age of 40. He retired at the age of 66 but never stopped working. He advised entrepreneurs
as a mentor/coach at SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), consulted for various
businesses, and served as a board member for the Sexauer charitable foundation. A very
important part of his life was his membership in the Young Presidents Organization, the World
Business Council, and later the Alpha Group, where he made lifelong friends whom he
considered his brothers. Until the age of 87, he commuted daily by train to his office in
Manhattan.
As successful and accomplished as he was professionally, he treasured his family the
most of all and took great joy in his close relationships with each one of them. He is survived by
his loving wife Carol, with whom he celebrated his 60th wedding anniversary in June of this
year. He is also survived by his two children, Todd and Tracy Silva, their spouses Ofelia and
Stephen, and his five grandchildren Sofia, Tatiana, Tyler, Bailey, and Christian.
All who knew Gil will surely cherish the relationships they had with him, miss his
presence in their daily lives, and God willing be with him again some day.
A memorial gathering for Gil will be held Thursday, September 21, 2023 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home, 2900 Summer Street, Stamford, CT 069054304. A memorial mass will occur Friday, September 22, 2023 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Our Lady Of Sorrows Church, 920 Mamaroneck Ave, White Plains, NY 10605.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.leopgallagherstamford.com for the Silva family.
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