John F. Tarantino, Sr., 86 of Norwell, died peacefully January 31st at South Shore Hospital, following a brief illness. He was the husband of the late Joanne (Dickman) Tarantino. Born and raised in Brockton, he was the son of Dominic and Antoinette Tarantino and brother to the late Louis Tarantino.

After graduating High School, he entered the Armed Forces. Later he attended the Naval College of Engineering and MIT. During World War II, Mr. Tarantino served in the Army with the combat engineers. He worked for the Dept. of The Navy and General Dynamics where his team pioneered in modern nondestructive testing techniques on U.S. naval ships and submarines. He was called to lead the investigation of the USS Thresher which went down during sea trials, and he was instrumental in identifying the cause of lost F-111 Fighter Jets in Vietnam. John married and moved to Norwell in 1958.
Mr. Tarantino retired from the Bechtel Corporation after a successful career in the Power and Energy Division. He was an avid baseball fan. He loved the beach and boating on Cape Cod. He especially enjoyed summers with his family in Chatham. He was a usher at St. Helen Church and he was known as a man who could be called upon to help anyone in need.

He was the beloved father of John F. Jr., and his wife Lori of Cotuit, Robert M. of Kingston and he leaves many nieces and nephews.

Visiting hours

Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend the visiting hours Thursday, February 3, 2011, 4PM - 8PM in the McNamara - Sparrell Funeral Home, 30 Central Street, Norwell, MA.

If desired, donations in John's memory may be made to the Norwell Visiting Nurses Association 91 Longwater Circle, Norwell, MA 02061.

Service Information

A funeral mass will be celebrated on Friday , February 4 at 10AM in St. Helen Church, Washington Street, Norwell.

Interment will be held at a later date.