Persons of the Year 2018 Booklet FINAL

5
D
By Bill Brotherton
ITEM STAFF
avid J. Solimine Sr. was born at
home, 24 Spruce St., on Nanny
Goat Hill above Frey Playground.
“I was born in that house
on August 30, 1935, grew up in that
house, raised my family in that house.
We moved only once, 300 feet down the
street,” he said.
Solimine, who has owned and operated
funeral homes in Lynn since 1965,
has lived in the city for all of his 83
years. And he, wife Mary Jane (Melanson),
and their four children and 14
grandchildren have done much to better
the community they love.
Today, Essex Media Group and the
Item recognize David as Lynn’s Person
of the Year.
He’s an active lifelong parishioner at
Sacred Heart Church, where the Solimine
family sponsors an annual Mass
and dinner for shut-ins.
He has been an officer of the Valladolid
Council Knights of Columbus
in Lynn for more than 45 years. He’s
a member of the Order of Malta, the
Catholic organization that takes care
of the sick and the poor. He’s a supporter
of Santa’s Helping Hands, which
provides winter clothing to local families
and makes sure every parent is
able to provide something special for
their children at Christmas.
The Variety Children’s Charities
group is also dear to his heart. The organization,
which works in conjunction
with the Jimmy Fund, has been able to
donate vans to both the Boys & Girls
Club of Lynn and the JOI Child Care
ITEM PHOTO | SPENSER HASAK
LYNN
David J. Solimine Sr.
Center.
The Solimines and the Amirault
family, owners of Lynn’s Dart World,
sponsor an annual Christmas party
for more than 300 Lynn special needs
students. Solimine Funeral Home
supports numerous veterans organizations
and the family contributes to
and assists such organizations as the
Massachusetts General Hospital Pediatric
Cancer Unit, St. Jude’s Children’s
Hospital, Shriners Burns Hospital, All
Care VNA, Boys and Girls Club of
Lynn, Bridgewell, Catholic Charities,
Cerebral Palsy of Eastern Massachusetts,
Elder Service Plan of the North
Shore, Family and Children’s Services,
Girls Inc., HAWC, Greater Lynn Senior
Services, Greater Lynn YMCA, Project
Cope, Centerboard, and other local social
service agencies.
About 20 years ago, Dr. Nick Kostan
convinced Solimine and four other
Classical graduates (Tom Costin,
Salvy Migliaccio, Sen. Walter Boverini
and William McGuinness) to start an
Alumni Association. The organization
has awarded more than $500,000 in
scholarships to Classical grads.
And he, friends, family and hundreds
of volunteers have manned Santa’s
Island on Broadway near Wyoma
Square for years, collecting more than
$200,000 for the Salvation Army’s
Item Santa.
“I’ve always been a Lynn cheerleader,”
said Solimine, a 1953 Classical
High grad. “You absolutely cannot
knock the city in my presence.”
Solimine’s career also started on
Spruce Street, in the greenhouse and
wholesale florist business of his parents,
Damiano and Agnes. During this
period, he attended Northeastern University
at night, earning a business
degree.
Ten years out of high school, Solimine
decided to enroll at the New England
Institute of Anatomy — funeral school
— where he served as class president.
He earned his license in 1964 and, in
1965, opened his first funeral home,
taking over the Broadway and Boston
Street properties of Walter Ahern, who
had died.
“We were broke for eight years. It
took us that long to get out of the red,”
Solimine said.
His friend, Nick Meninno, renovated
the funeral home at 444 Broadway and
the Boston Street site was shuttered.
He donated that land to Sacred Heart
Parish, for use as a parking lot.
David Jr. joined Dad in the family
business in 1978. Four years later the
current funeral home at 426 Broadway
was built.
The Solimines purchased TW Rhodes
Funeral Home on Ocean Street in
1984. Landergan Funeral Home was
acquired in 1996. In 2009, Joel C. Solimine
joined his father and grandfather
in the business. Joel is one of 14 grandchildren,
all of whom, says Grandpa,
have participated in the family’s tradition
of community service. “I can
tell you all their names and who they
belong to,” said Solimine, with a laugh.
“God’s been good. You give back,” Solimine
said. “When our days are ended,
if one can feel that one’s efforts helped
someone less fortunate have less of a
tough road to hoe, it’s worth it.”