John Peter Paul Arena
March 31, 1924 — April 19, 2018
John Peter Paul Arena was born March 31, 1924 to Sicilian immigrant parents, Giovanni Arena and Jennie Arena (Inferrere) in Framingham, Massachusetts. The second oldest of eight sons and three daughters, John’s family moved to Waltham, MA, where he began his education. John demonstrated a propensity for mechanical ingenuity and resourcefulness even at an early age. During his childhood, he built a working canoe from scraps of wood, tarp and paint. He built surprisingly powerful bows and arrows from carved sticks and copper tubing. These talents would serve him well later in life. Before he could complete his high school education, the tides of war arose; and, with the permission of his father who had served in the United States Army and fought in WW1, John enlisted in the United States Navy on September 11, 1941.
John served 20 years in the United States Navy. He attended airplane mechanic’s school and became proficient at working on engines of all kinds. During WWII, he served on PT Boat 121 in the Asia Pacific Campaign journeying to such faraway places as Borneo and Kwajalein. Dedicated to duty and utilizing his mechanical talents, John progressed rapidly through the ranks. He attained the rank of Chief Motor Machinist’s Mate at the early age of 21. He spent most of his Navy career in the engine rooms and served on four different ships during his service. John retired from the Navy on September 19, 1960.
During his Navy tenure, John met Doris Taylor on a blind date in Orange, Texas. Although Doris was originally from Louisiana, she was staying with her sister in Orange. The two were married on John’s birthday March 31, 1947. They would raise three children together and then divorce after 48 years of marriage.
After the Navy, John utilized the GI Bill and with assistance from Doris, enrolled in the Mechanical Engineering program at Louisiana Tech University. Having not completed high school, John employed his tenacity and resourcefulness to teach himself the remedial math and science courses he would need to pass classes like fluid dynamics and differential equations. He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering in June 1964.
John began his civilian career at the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts, but soon moved to Middletown, Rhode Island to accept a job with the Research and Development program at the United States Navy Underwater Systems Center located in Newport, Rhode Island. John worked for NUSC for 15 years making many contributions to improve torpedo technology, particularly in the areas of seals and gyroscopics. He remains a named inventor on several patents granted during this phase of his career.
After retiring from NUSC, John and Doris moved to Downsville, Louisiana to care for Doris’s ailing mother. Bored with retirement, John began the third phase of his career by taking a job as a mechanical engineer for a beverage packaging company. He later joined a larger company in the same industry and made many contributions to the development of beverage packaging machines. In particular, he was the lead and primary engineer on the QuikFlex line of packaging machines developed in the late 1980’s and 1990’s. He is named inventor on several patents granted with respect to these machines. After nearly 15 years, he retired for the third and final time.
John retired to Lake Worth, Florida where he became an active member of the Lake Worth Moose Club. He loved to dance, and for years you could find him every Friday and Saturday night at the Moose Club smiling and dancing the night away to his favorite song “Blue Spanish Eyes.” He garnered numerous friendships and years of happiness in Lake Worth. John died on April 19, 2018. He is survived by his children, Jenny Lynn Hall, William Paul Arena, and John Giovanni Arena, and his eight grandchildren, three boys and five girls. He is also survived by six brothers, three sisters, and dozens of nieces and nephews. Together, all of his surviving family love him very much and believe that he continues to smile and dance eternally in his final rest.
John believed in education and believed that the Navy and his college education changed his life. Therefore, the family has set up the John P. Arena Memorial fund through the ThanksUSA charity. This fund will provide college scholarships to children of Navy veterans majoring in Engineering. The family asks, that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the John P. Arena Memorial Fund at the following link: https://app.thanksusa.org/donate/programs/John%20P.%20Arena%20Memorial%20Fundtime .
Viewing services with be held between the hours of 10:00 AM and 12:15 PM on May 3, 2018 at Scobee-Combs-Bowden Funeral Home, corner of U.S. Hwy. #1 & N.E 15th Ave., Boynton Beach, Florida. Funeral services will be held at 1:15 PM on May 3, 2018 at South Florida National Cemetery, 6501 South SR 7, Lake Worth, Florida (Lane 3).
John served 20 years in the United States Navy. He attended airplane mechanic’s school and became proficient at working on engines of all kinds. During WWII, he served on PT Boat 121 in the Asia Pacific Campaign journeying to such faraway places as Borneo and Kwajalein. Dedicated to duty and utilizing his mechanical talents, John progressed rapidly through the ranks. He attained the rank of Chief Motor Machinist’s Mate at the early age of 21. He spent most of his Navy career in the engine rooms and served on four different ships during his service. John retired from the Navy on September 19, 1960.
During his Navy tenure, John met Doris Taylor on a blind date in Orange, Texas. Although Doris was originally from Louisiana, she was staying with her sister in Orange. The two were married on John’s birthday March 31, 1947. They would raise three children together and then divorce after 48 years of marriage.
After the Navy, John utilized the GI Bill and with assistance from Doris, enrolled in the Mechanical Engineering program at Louisiana Tech University. Having not completed high school, John employed his tenacity and resourcefulness to teach himself the remedial math and science courses he would need to pass classes like fluid dynamics and differential equations. He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering in June 1964.
John began his civilian career at the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts, but soon moved to Middletown, Rhode Island to accept a job with the Research and Development program at the United States Navy Underwater Systems Center located in Newport, Rhode Island. John worked for NUSC for 15 years making many contributions to improve torpedo technology, particularly in the areas of seals and gyroscopics. He remains a named inventor on several patents granted during this phase of his career.
After retiring from NUSC, John and Doris moved to Downsville, Louisiana to care for Doris’s ailing mother. Bored with retirement, John began the third phase of his career by taking a job as a mechanical engineer for a beverage packaging company. He later joined a larger company in the same industry and made many contributions to the development of beverage packaging machines. In particular, he was the lead and primary engineer on the QuikFlex line of packaging machines developed in the late 1980’s and 1990’s. He is named inventor on several patents granted with respect to these machines. After nearly 15 years, he retired for the third and final time.
John retired to Lake Worth, Florida where he became an active member of the Lake Worth Moose Club. He loved to dance, and for years you could find him every Friday and Saturday night at the Moose Club smiling and dancing the night away to his favorite song “Blue Spanish Eyes.” He garnered numerous friendships and years of happiness in Lake Worth. John died on April 19, 2018. He is survived by his children, Jenny Lynn Hall, William Paul Arena, and John Giovanni Arena, and his eight grandchildren, three boys and five girls. He is also survived by six brothers, three sisters, and dozens of nieces and nephews. Together, all of his surviving family love him very much and believe that he continues to smile and dance eternally in his final rest.
John believed in education and believed that the Navy and his college education changed his life. Therefore, the family has set up the John P. Arena Memorial fund through the ThanksUSA charity. This fund will provide college scholarships to children of Navy veterans majoring in Engineering. The family asks, that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the John P. Arena Memorial Fund at the following link: https://app.thanksusa.org/donate/programs/John%20P.%20Arena%20Memorial%20Fundtime .
Viewing services with be held between the hours of 10:00 AM and 12:15 PM on May 3, 2018 at Scobee-Combs-Bowden Funeral Home, corner of U.S. Hwy. #1 & N.E 15th Ave., Boynton Beach, Florida. Funeral services will be held at 1:15 PM on May 3, 2018 at South Florida National Cemetery, 6501 South SR 7, Lake Worth, Florida (Lane 3).
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