Honorable Milton Raymond Silva, 96, retired presiding Justice of the Second District Court of Bristol County for twenty years, passed away peacefully at his home on February 14 ^th , reuniting with his "valentine", the late Mary C. (Gaspar) Silva, with whom he shared 63 years of marriage. Born in Fall River, he was the son of the late Anthony T. and Mary L. (Benevides) Silva; father of Paul F. Silva (wife-Filomena) of Fall River, Tina LaFranchi (husband-Larry) of Richmond, MA, Richard H. Silva of Somerset, Martin A. Silva (wife-Kathi) both of Somerset and the late Ana Larrivee (husband-Gary of Westport); brother of Madeline Murphy (husband-the late Leo, Jr.) beloved "Papa" of Brian LaFranchi (wife-Hillary), Amy Rigtrup (husband-Jonathan), Alan LaFranchi, Melanie Silva (husband-Alex Correia), Michael Silva (companion-Pernilla Kaiser), Richard LaFranchi (wife-Amorette), Patricia Robinson (husband-Patrick), Jessica Silva, Maxwell Silva (partner-Matthew Basta), Elliot Silva & Robert Larrivee; GREAT "Papa" of Greyson, Joseph, Cecelia, Lewin, Chloé, Maisy & Baby Robinson and Baby LaFranchi on the way. He also leaves several nieces, nephews, godchildren and many cousins.

"Ray" (as he was known to family in his early years) grew up in Fall River, graduated from Durfee High School in 1941 and went on to Providence College as a member of the Class of 1944. It was during this time that he developed his talent for playing the saxophone, under the tutelage of the father of the late Joe Raposo of Sesame Street fame. He began working at the family owned funeral home by age 13, when services were conducted in homes.

His education was interrupted by World War II, when he joined the Army. Milt was deployed to Europe with the 120 ^th Evacuation Hospital, which ultimately became internationally known for its role in the liberation of the concentration camp at Buchenwald and several others. It was an experience that always stayed with him and shaped his sense of justice, compassion and fairness throughout his lifetime.

After the war, he married his high school sweetheart, Mary Gaspar, and received his degree from Providence College. He went to embalming school, joined the family funeral business, and assumed the responsibilities of the business after the unexpected death of his father in 1955.

He was a successful funeral director but always had a yearning to pursue a path in which he could serve others in the public realm. In 1950, with two children by then, Milton entered Suffolk Law School part-time.  He graduated in 1952, passed the Massachusetts Bar shortly thereafter and the Federal Bar in 1955.

As an immigration attorney in a city with a high number of immigrants from the Acores, he made a huge impact on that community by taking a personal interest in many cases and going out of his way to help.  On one occasion, Milt traveled to Canada to intervene at the Consulate because of a pending deportation due to a clerical error. Once the family was granted visas, he arranged for limousines to meet them at Logan Airport. Subsequently, one of the minor children picked up that day ended up marrying his eldest son and becoming his daughter-in-law.

During this time, he became active in the credit union movement and was a founder of several credit unions. After retiring from the bench, he served on the supervisory committee of St. Anthony of Padua Credit Union until he was close to ninety years old.

In between his two stints as Fall River Police Commissioner, Atty. Silva served in the State Legislature from 1960-1964. In that capacity, he served on a special committee to investigate a high-profile racing scandal. As a Republican serving in the minority during that time frame, he managed to work alongside the majority, led by his good friend and colleague, Democrat George Kenneally, in a collaborative and friendly way to serve the public interest.  For this reason, he often expressed deep disappointment and frustration with the contentious and divisive atmosphere that he witnessed in recent years, especially at the national level.

Appointed to the bench in 1970, Judge Silva went on to serve for 20 years as the presiding justice of the Second District Court. During his tenure he oversaw a major addition to the Rock Street courthouse, the computerization of the court records and transactions, and the creation of a district court jury system.  Because of his keen understanding of the 1966 Miranda decision and the important rights awarded under that decision, he became known as "Not Guilty Milty," when local police departments were slow to implement it and got cases tossed out as a result.  Judge Silva also created a "second chances" diversion program for first time offenders. He also served as chairman of the Committees on Preservation of Testimony and Caseflow Management; member of the Appellate Division of the District Court Department for the Southern District; president of the South East Regional Judges' Conference; and the faculty chair of caseflow management for the Judicial Institute.

Early on as a judge, with the news reporting about a conspiratorial Holocaust Deniers movement, Milton began to open up about his time during the war (before then, not even his children were aware of his experiences). He devoted much of his limited free time to speaking publicly at countless school assemblies, synagogues, churches, community centers, etc. about the atrocities that he witnessed during WWII in order to try and impress upon the next generation the importance of bearing witness and not allowing history to repeat itself. He received recognition from several community Jewish organizations.

While a judge, after retiring, and into his 90s, he rekindled his love for music and joined the Swansea Community Band and the Providence Civic Orchestra of Senior Citizens. Milt also enjoyed playing squash at the YMCA and golf. A longtime member of Fall River Country Club, he also played in the Knights of Columbus League in Swansea and the Pine Valley Seniors in Rehoboth. He was member of the American Federation of Musicians, Founders Club of CUNA, Amvets, American Legion and Knights of Columbus Swansea Council. Still civic minded, after his retirement, he served on the Board of Directors for SerJobs for Progress for over 25 years.

In recognition of his contributions to our area's Portuguese community, he received the first Benjamin N. Cardozo Award for Legal Excellence, as well as the Portuguese-American of the Year awards from both the Prince Henry Society & O Jornal. He was awarded the first honorary life membership of the Fall River Chapter of the Prince Henry Society. Milt was also a recipient of Durfee High School's Outstanding Alumnus Award. Several years ago he, along with Silva-Faria Funeral Home, was honored with an exhibit of memorabilia at the Portuguese-American Archives at UMASS Dartmouth, where many of his legal and judicial records are archived.

His Funeral Mass was celebrated on Monday, February 24 ^th , in St. Anthony of Padua Church followed by a private committal with military honors at Notre Dame Cemetery. To be sure our family receives any condolences, photos or other tributes you wish to submit online, go directly to our website ( www.silvafaria.com ) and not through any other source.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in his memory to help the Fall River Chapter of the Prince Henry Society's scholarship program, which was close to his heart. Send to: Fall River Prince Henry Society, PO Box 3563, Fall River, MA 02722.

Please click on the link below to view the eulogy, given by Chief Justice Philip Rapoza:

https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=_noI2VbhriI&feature=youtu.be