A funeral service will be held Wednesday for Roger Fachini, a former member of the Sterling Heights City Council who started a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing musical instruments to disadvantaged youngsters.
Fachini, 71, died unexpectedly on April 17, according to an obituary in The Macomb Daily. He served on the City Council from November 1999 through November 2001.
“As a former member of City Council, Mr. Fachini undoubtedly left an indelible impression on Sterling Heights and he will not be forgotten by our residents or this council,” Mayor Michael C. Taylor said in a statement.
Prior to serving on the council, Fachini was on the city’s Business Industrial Committee in the 1980s and the Zoning Board of Appeals in the 1990s.
After retiring from General Dynamics, he began Charity Music, a group that collected used musical instruments and donated them to families who lacked the financial ability to purchase the items.
As president and CEO of the nonprofit, Fachini was a fixture at local art fairs and other community gatherings promoting Charity Music as a means to allow others to fully enjoy the joy of playing music and working with area youngsters to cultivate their musical talents.
Numerous tributes were posted on his Facebook page this week. Gerard Pazdziora of the No Bike Behind charity said Fachini was a key figure in helping the group launch its program in 2010.
“He was a great man who will leave an amazing legacy behind for the stewardship lifestyle he lead with Charity Music,” Pazdziora said in his tribute.
Fachini is survived by his wife of 47 years, Patricia; children, Roger Fachini II, Dave “Peter,” and Rachel Collins; nine grandchildren; and other relatives.
A funeral service was scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday at Resurrection Funeral Home, Clinton Township. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be addressed to Charitymusic.org.
