Obituary of Charles Bento Correia

Charles Bento Correia of Burlington, MA, passed away on August 11, 2023 at the age of 95. Charles was born to his parents John and Mary “Irene” Bento Correia in Bailey’s Bay, Bermuda where he was raised. When Charles was 16, his mom encouraged him to go to the U.S. to live with his Great Aunt for more education opportunities. Charles went through Ellis Island, New York to Bristol, Rhode Island and enrolled at Colt Memorial High School. Portuguese being his native tongue, he did not know how to say “teacher” in English, so he began his schooling here calling his teachers “mama”. After graduating high school, he enlisted in the Army during World War II with the hope that it would lead to his U.S. citizenship, and it did. Charles deployed to Japan. He learned electronics communication working as a signal technician using Morse code and operating a HAM radio. Charles was very proud to serve in the Army and that he was an American citizen.

Upon returning from Japan, Charles continued his electronics education and had the first TV in Bristol Rhode Island and he worked in a TV repair shop. In the 1950s, Charles re-enlisted to serve his new country in the Korean War. Upon completion of that war, Charles returned to the U.S. where he started to work at Standard Coil as an electronics technician. It was in 1954 while working at Standard Coil that Charles met his co-worker Lorraine Paige and immediately fell in love. Six months later they were married in Taunton, MA. Years later Charles moved to Burlington and took a job at Raytheon Corporation where he worked on projects like the microwave oven and later the Patriot missile over the 30 years he was there.

Family was a big part of Charles’ life especially on Sundays. Sundays were spent going to church then enjoying a large Portuguese meal that Lorraine would prepare for everyone. Charles believed in keeping life simple and liked to putter around his yard. Charles took great pride in gardening, a skill he learned at an early age working on a farm in Bermuda. He grew beautiful Zinnias and a large selection of vegetables. He grew such an abundance of vegetables that he shared them with anyone and everyone. When he wasn’t gardening or puttering outside, Charles liked to tinker on his basement workbench with electronics. He built fun toys for the kids like a play telephone and made many useful items for the house such as a voltage meter and Variac for his TVs.  Charles also used his mechanical mind to engineer fun projects in the yard like a homemade batters cage complete with a home plate and leaded bat, a rainwater collection system, tree fort, and ice rink. Charles even rigged up large antennas on his house to get TV channels far away long before cable and to use his HAM radio. Charles was a big believer in education, always grateful for his education in the U.S., and encouraged all his children and grandchildren to read books.  Saturday mornings were spent with the car hood open teaching all his kids how to fix basic car problems. As Charles grew older into his 90s his favorite thing to do was sitting out in the gazebo in his garden with Lorraine by his side. Hours were spent there sipping tea and talking to his grandchildren telling jokes and stories about his time in the Army under General MacArthur, his friendship with Orson Bean and driving a truck for The Three Stooges.

Charles was the loving husband of Lorraine Rose Correia for 69 years of Burlington, MA.  He was the loving father of John Paul Correia and his wife Judith of Billerica, Charles Xavier Correia of McLean, VA, and Mary Elizabeth (Correia) Brand and her husband Thomas Brand of Burlington. He was the proud grandfather of Anthony Correia of Washington DC, Katherine Correia of McLean, Virginia, Paige Brand, Thomson Brand, Jonathan Brand, and Jaclyn Brand of Burlington. He is preceded in death by his two brothers, Jeremiah “Jerry” Bento Correia, of Jennings Bay, Bermuda and Gilbert Bento Correia of St. John New Brunswick, Canada. He also leaves many loving nieces and nephews in the U.S., Bermuda and Canada.

A funeral wake will be held at Silva Funeral Home, 80 Broadway Street, Taunton, MA on August 21, 2023 from 9:30 am to 10:30 am.

A funeral mass will be held at 11:00am on August 21, 2023 at St. Ann’s Church, 660 North Main Street, Raynham, MA 02767 at 11am.

Services will conclude with a burial at St. Joseph’s Cemetery, 475 E Britannia St, Taunton, MA 02780.

Funeral under the directions of Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn Street, Burlington, MA

For obituary, on-line guestbook, and memorial video, see sullivanfuneralhome.net.