Benito Raia

May 8, 1936 - March 6, 2022

RAIA, BENITO, 85 Benito Vittorio Michele Raia began his life on May 8, 1936 in the town of Navelli in the province of L’Aquila (Abruzzo) Italy. Benito was the eldest of three children born to Alberto Raia & Maria Giannina (nee Salustro). Benito’s childhood saw the outbreak, destruction, and eventual Allied victory of WWII. At the age of 18, the Raia family emigrated to the United States where Alberto and his brothers continued the family trade of fine custom tailoring. Benito joined the family business where he honed his craft. 1960 saw Benito swear his allegiance to the U.S. when he became a naturalized citizen. In 1967, he married Bayonne native, Joanne (nee Majkowski) and they welcomed their only child, Jeffrey Christoper in 1969. The young family made their home in Hopkinton, MA where Ben helped found the youth soccer program. In the 1970’s, his hard work led to a contract with the U.S. Coast Guard where Benito helped develop and design a uniform for the Coast Guard which became known as “Bender Blues”. After retirement, Benito & Joanne eventually made a permanent move to their home in Naples, FL where Ben became the president of his community HOA. Benito was an extremely proud father and grandfather. An avid fan of both the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots, Ben was especially delighted when his son joined the field crew at Gillette Stadium, as he would intently watch the games for any glimpse of his son beside Brady. After a brief battle with cancer, Benito was called home on Sunday March 6, 2022. His last moments were spent surrounded in love by his family. He is survived and missed terribly by his loving wife of 54 years, Joanne; his son Jeffrey and his wife Brenda and their two sons Roman Alberto Michele and Nicolias (Nico) William; his sisters Elena (Troiani) and Nora (Gormley); and many friends and family members. A funeral mass will be held Wednesday March 16, 2022 at 11:30 am at St. Elizabeth Seton church in Naples, FL.