Richard Furia, 66, lawyer, civic activist

A LAWYER who made house calls!

No, that's not a joke. Richard F. Furia did just that during the 40 years he practiced law in the Philadelphia area.

"As a lawyer, Richard believed in doing whatever it took to make sure his clients' rights were protected," his family said in an obituary. "He was an 'old-school' lawyer who made house calls whenever his clients needed him - days, nights, weekends and holidays."

Such dedication to the needs of those who hired him was a hallmark of Richard's practice. And the same dedication extended beyond his law office into the community, where he was a busy civic activist.

Richard Furia, a man of many interests, including Renaissance art, opera, boating, fishing and environmental conservancy, died Friday after a battle with lung cancer. He was 66 and lived in Wynnewood.

He was the son of the late Edward W. Furia Sr., the first Italian-American U.S. magistrate. His mother, the former Mollie Sciola, was a legal secretary who worked for a time for her son before her death in 2000.

Richard was proud of his Italian heritage, led numerous Italian-American organizations and spoke zealously against negative portrayals of Italian-Americans in the media.

He took over his father's law practice, Furia and Lacko, after his father's death in 1971. He went on to become a partner with Stack and Gallagher, and in 1991 founded Furia and Turner, for which he served as managing partner.

He was chancellor of the Justinian Society from 1996 to 1998, a post which his father held in the 1950s and which his daughter, Gina Furia Rubel, a lawyer, held from 2008 to last year.

He was also active with the Philadelphia Bar Association, serving on the board of governors and a number of committees.

Richard was the youngest of three boys who were born and raised in South Philadelphia. He attended Bishop John Neumann High School (now Ss. Neumann-Goretti High), graduating in 1963.

He received his bachelor's degree cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 1967, and his juris doctor cum laude in 1971 from Temple University School of Law (now the Beasley School of Law).

He was a proud member of the St. John Neumann Millay Club.

Richard was a member of the National Italian American Foundation, Counsel of 1,000. He served as the national orator for the Order Sons of Italy in America, national secretary of its Commission for Social Justice and president of the Pennsylvania Commission for Social Justice.

Besides his daughter, he is survived by his wife, the former Bernadette Kalinoski; two brothers, Edward Furia Jr. and William Furia; two grandchildren, and his ex-wife, the former Jo-Ann Piccionetti.

Services: Funeral Mass 10:30 a.m. tomorrow at St. Rita of Cascia Church, Broad and Ellsworth streets. Friends may call at 6 this evening and 9:30 a.m. tomorrow at the Baldi Funeral Home, 1331 S. Broad St. Burial will be in Westminster Cemetery.

Donations may be made to the Furia Scholarship Fund, Justinian Foundation, Suite 3402, 1818 Market St., Philadelphia 19103; E.W. Furia Memorial Scholarship, University of Pennsylvania Law School, 3400 Chestnut St., Philadelphia 19104, or Valley Forge Audubon Society, 1201 Pawlings Road, Audubon, PA 19403.