April 4, 1932 – April 8, 2026 | Seattle, WA | Age 94
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Carmine Ferdinando Pecoraro, age 94, of Seattle, Washington, on April 8, 2026.
Carmine was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, the proud son of Italian immigrants who brought with them the values of hard work, family, and resilience that would define his life. He attended Dorchester School for Boys before going on to earn a degree in Aerospace Engineering from Boston University. A proud Army veteran, he served in Italy and Germany for three years during the Korean War — an experience that shaped the determined, no-nonsense man his family knew and loved.
Carmine fell in love and married Joan Anderson in Boston, together they had four children. The family made their home in Kirkland, Washington, where he began a long and distinguished career as an aeronautical engineer at Boeing Aircraft Company. He worked there for 37 proud years, contributing to wind tunnel research and doing work he genuinely loved and excelled at. Carmine was a hands-on man through and through — if something needed doing, he was the one doing it, and he had little patience for being told otherwise.
His passion for aviation never dimmed. Carmine flew planes well into his 90s and was still in the hangar rebuilding one not long before he passed. He wore his “Octogenarian Flying Club” hat with great pride, prompting the family to tease him that it was time for an upgrade to the “Nonagenarian Flying Club.” Stubbornness, after all, has its virtues — and Carmine had plenty of both.
After many cherished years together, Carmine’s beloved wife, Joan, passed away on April 17, 1997. In the years that followed, he found love and joy again with Lillian Arnstein, his devoted partner of more than 20 years, who passed away on March 19, 2024. Carmine passed away just 38 days after his oldest son, Robert, passed away. Carmine’s heart was broken — and yet he faced even that with the quiet resilience that defined him.
Through it all, he had a faithful companion by his side: Tony, his gloriously rotund Chihuahua, who brought him no small amount of daily joy and amusement.
Carmine is survived by his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and extended family, all of whom carry forward his grit, his stubbornness, and his deep pride in a life well-lived and well-flown.
Services
A memorial service will be held promptly at 11:30 am until 12:30 pm on Friday, April 24, at Barton Funeral Home, 11630 Slater Ave NE, Kirkland, WA, followed by his burial at 1:00 p.m. at Kirkland Cemetery, 8100 122nd Ave NE, Kirkland, WA.
The post first appeared on Barton Family Funeral Service.