William Farina, 87, of Oak Brook, a retired certified public accountant who also served for years in the Air Force, died of heart failure Monday, Feb. 18, in Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove. Born in Wyoming, Mr. Farina was the son of Italian immigrants who returned to Italy when he was 5 to help ailing relatives. While in central Italy, he studied at Catholic Salesian Schools and became fluent in several languages. At 17, he returned to the United States and attended Northwestern University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Mr. Farina was employed with Arthur Andersen in Chicago for several years. He later worked as a controller for a small company before starting a business that specialized in tax accounting and financial management. “He was very good with numbers and had the kind of mind that really suited his line of work,” said his wife, Carol. During World War II, Mr. Farina served as a lieutenant colonel with the Army Air Forces in England, France, Italy and North Africa. During the Korean War, he served in the U.S. Later, he joined the reserves and performed various accounting assignments throughout the country. He remained active in the reserves until his retirement at 60. “He stayed on with the Air Force for so long because he loved the people,” his wife said. “He made a lot of friends and had many good memories from those years.” Other survivors include a sister, Alice Donati. Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday in Toon Funeral Home, 4920 Main St., Downers Grove. Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Friday in St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Church, 306 W. 4th St., Hinsdale.
