Francesco Cerrina

Madison/Boston- Si e' spento serenamente oggi.   Francesco Cerrina, age 62, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, July 12, 2010 . He was born on February 11, 19 48 in Moncalvo , Italy , to Remo and Milecherina (Arrobio) Cerrina.   Franco grew up in a small Italian town in the northwestern part of Italy and cherished memories of its cobblestone streets, market square, church bells and the local gourmet truffles.   His family spoke a dialect of Italian related to French, so that, much to his dismay, Franco had a difficult accent in both Italian and in English.   He was raised by his mother, who took in wash to make ends meet. Franco never forgot how she struggled to care for him during their hard times.   Throughout his life he cared passionately about helping single mothers and about making sure women became educated so that they could support themselves.   Although he was a poor boy, he was a bright one, and his mother took great pride in his intelligence and urged him to study.   He learned bartending, cooking, and waiting tables from his uncle who owned a restaurant in Nice , France .   He often laughed about playing poker with other schoolboys while they traveled by train to and from high school.   He moved to Rome with his brother and mother and worked there as a laboratory technician, but because of the encouragement of his mentor, Prof Giorgio Margaritondo, he made the rare transition to graduate school and a career in Physics.   He received his PhD in Physics from the University of Rome in 1974 and shortly after moved to the United States to continue his research at Montana State University at Bozeman . He came to the University of Wisconsin -- Madison in 1980 as a researcher in the Chemistry Department. He joined the faculty in 1984 as an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and became a full professor in 1990.   During his tenure at UW-Madison, he served as the McFarland-Bascom Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering from 2001-05 and Lynn H. Matthias Professor in Engineering from 2005-08. He directed the UW-Madison Center for X-Ray Lithography from 1989-98 and directed the Center for NanoTechnology from 1998-2010. In 2008, he accepted a position at Boston University as the Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and moved east. Throughout the years, he co-founded five companies, held 16 patents, and had more than 300 reviewed publications. The focus of his research revolved around nanotechnology and biotechnology.   Outside of his lab, Franco spent his time with his family and friends. He began his family when he married Jean (Jondrow) Gendreau and welcomed Saima as his daughter. Michaela was born in 1983 and Magdalena was born in 1987. The family spent many hours cooking, reading, and enjoying music and the theater together. He was always willing to help with the math and science homework and the small repair jobs around the house.   He gladly attended every band concert or sporting event offered to him and calmly taught all three of his girls to drive.   Even after the move to Boston , he remained firmly tied to his family in both Italy and Wisconsin .   Franco found friendship and a spiritual home at Blessed Sacrament because of his daughters, because of the parish community, and because of the wonderful nuns and priests there. At home he had tapes of Gregorian chants and would listen to them for hours. But it must be said that during long holiday services, if candles were given to congregation members, he could never resist molding the candle wax into funny shapes and little animals for his daughters.   Franco was also a man of many interests and talents. He was an avid and exceptional chef who could transform the contents of the barest pantry into a feast. He was a local chef featured in the Wisconsin State Journal and loved the process of refining a good recipe to perfection. His love of science and sourdough bread led him down an extensive path of trying to create the perfect loaf. There could never be too much crust, although the loaves never turned out quite as he had hoped. His love of travel and cuisine led him to an array of home-cooked culinary adventures for his children to sample, saying, ""Try this.   It tastes like chicken"" -- only to reveal after the meal that the ""chicken nuggets"" were actually frog, or that the surprise in the oven was an attempt at making haggis.   Although he proudly became a naturalized American citizen, Franco never developed an affection for or understanding of Thanksgiving.   Every year, his suggestions for Thanksgiving dinner included rack of lamb, ravioli, and avoiding pumpkin pie.   Franco will always be remembered as a supportive father, a compassionate friend, and a brilliant researcher. He was a thoughtful, kind, and deeply generous man with a great sense of humor that touched the lives of everyone he met. He was immensely proud of his children and was looking forward to the future. He will be in our hearts forever.   Franco is survived by his three daughters, Saima (Brian Behnke) Akhtar, Michaela Cerrina, and Magdalena Cerrina; his nieces and nephews, Alessandra and Federika Cerrina and Enrico and Marco Farello; his cousin Carla Farello and a sister-in-law, Rosetta Cerrina. He is also survived by other loving family and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Nando Cerrina.   A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 2131 Rowley Avenue , Madison , Wisconsin on July 21, 2010 at 11 a.m. with Father Ron Kreul and Father Stan Drongowski concelebrating. A visitation will be held at the church at 10 a.m. on the same morning.   In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in the name of Franco Cerrina to Blessed Sacrament School, 2112 Hollister Avenue , Madison , Wisconsin , 53726 .   The family would like to extend a special thank you to everyone at Boston University and UW -- Madison for their sympathy and kindness.