MAGNANI, Enrico of West Roxbury, passed away on August 10, 2026, at 96 years of age. Beloved husband of Jennie (Romano) of West Roxbury. Devoted father of Enrico Magnani, Jr., of Fitchburg, MA, Rosemarie Magnani and her husband David Jackson of Newton, MA, Carolyn Magnani and her husband Christopher Tucci of Lausanne, Switzerland, and Dianna Magnani and her husband John McDonald of Newton, MA. Cherished grandfather of David, Jennifer, and Christopher Jackson; Enrico, Romano, and Matteo Tucci; and John and Carolyn McDonald. Dear brother of Maurizio Magnani and his wife Margareta (Gullet) of Duarte, CA, the late Silvia and her husband Domenic Marino of Belmont, MA, and the late Luana and her husband Gianfranco Colitti of Rome, Italy. Dear brother-in-law of Carmela (Romano) and her late husband Gaspare Balsamo, and the late Emma (Romano) and her husband Francesco Magro. Also survived by many loving nieces and nephews.
Born in Rome, Italy, on August 16, 1929, Dad grew up during a difficult and unstable period in the country’s history, when Italy was ruled by a dictator. A wonderful storyteller, Dad told us about how one time when he was playing trumpet in a marching band at a national ceremony, Mussolini patted him on the head and posed with him for the newspaper. Dad was immediately suspicious of this powerful man.
Dad’s youth was marked by danger and resilience. When Allied planes bombed his Porta Maggiore neighborhood, his family narrowly escaped when a bomb hit their apartment building. His mother’s dry cleaning shop was severely damaged, and half the building (the half where they did not live) collapsed a few days later. Dad later witnessed German soldiers rounding up civilians during the events leading to the massacre of 335 men and boys in the Ardeatine Caves in March 1944. Small for his age, he believed his size spared him from being taken. After the war, he guided American troops to the site of the atrocity.
After the war, as a young civil engineer, Dad helped rebuild war damaged parts of Rome. When he was 25, at his mother’s insistence, he emigrated to Boston to join his older sister, Silvia, who had married an Italian American soldier. Dad boarded the SS Cristoforo Colombo in Naples bound for New York, encountering a hurricane and experiencing eight straight days of seasickness on his journey.
In the United States, he found both opportunity and enduring love. Mom and Dad met in the mid-1950s and married in 1959. They bought a home and a piece of land in West Roxbury where they soon built a new home that Dad lived in with Mom for the rest of his life. One of his favorite hobbies was working on the house; he did everything from plumbing to electrical to masonry work, and he did it with skill and precision.
Dad had a successful career in civil engineering. As we drove around Boston, he often pointed out buildings on which he had worked and described the engineering challenges they presented and how they were addressed. Brilliant, tough, and determined, he assimilated, saved, and advanced—building a life defined by resilience, integrity, and purpose.
Above all, Dad was devoted to his family. He was an accomplished saver and investor who deeply valued education. Together with Mom, he generously paid our many tuition bills without hesitation. He took immense pride in the accomplishments of his children and grandchildren. His legacy lives on in the strength he showed, the sacrifices he made, and the deep love he gave to those closest to him.
Visiting hours will be held at the William J. Gormley Funeral Home, 2055 Centre Street, WEST ROXBURY, MA, on Thursday, August 13, 2026, from 3-7pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday morning, August 14, 2026, at Saint Theresa of Avila Chapel, West Roxbury, at 10am. Interment at Newton Cemetery.