John Angelo Caruccio passed away peacefully on November 16, 2024. He was born September 2, 1937, in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of the late Madeline (née Calabrese) and Martin Caruccio. He was predeceased by his sister Mary Theresa. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Marianne, children Andrea Hetrick (Lee), John (Janet) and Lisa Buckalew (Ed), grandchildren Amanda, Amy, Anthony, Ian and Ben, a niece, several nephews and lots of loving in-laws, cousins and friends.
John attended Holy Rosary school and served as an altar boy for daily Mass before school for several years. He earned a scholarship to St. Peter’s Prep high school in Jersey City and graduated with a chemistry degree from Rutgers University.
His first “official” job was at the A & P grocery store. John never met a stranger and brightened the spirits of all he met. A great storyteller, John and his brothers-in-law left many laughing at family gatherings while sharing stories of past and present. He may have also shared a souvenir or two from the Italian post office.
John worked at 3M while attending college and was the first in his family to graduate. He and Marianne moved to Delaware in 1965 with Diamond Shamrock. The excitement of starting up the Delaware City plant remained throughout John’s career in the chemical industry, and he kept a model train and a picture of his team with their first rail car of material rolling off the line.
His travels took him all over the world, and he was blessed with colleagues who became friends. In 1980 he joined the sales and marketing side of the business and retired from Mitsui in 2014. His lifelong curiosity led him to stay active in the industry as a consultant and help find new uses for various products. He remained a member of the Society of Plastics Engineers after retirement. He enjoyed speaking at events, playing in golf outings, and visiting with colleagues in Canada and New York.
John enjoyed all things rail, trips to Delaware Park, and walking on Main Street. Saturday nights found John and Marianne at Café Napoli and many local and out-of-town visitors joined them over the years. John arranged to be in town every year for St. Anthony’s Italian festival, and made sure all his grandchildren knew the family traditions of his youth. He loved his Yankees and NY Giants and spent time cheering from the bleachers and stands growing up outside NYC. He learned to box with the Police Athletic League and subscribed to the right channels to watch in his later years. The Big Apple remained his favorite and he and Marianne visited as often as possible. He managed to bring home a taste of NJ when he travelled, whether pastries from a favorite bakery, deli pickles, or rye bread from Grand Central.
Always an explorer, John found hidden gems everywhere. Upon moving to Delaware in 1965, he and Marianne regularly walked Longwood Gardens, visited the Amish country, became regular riders of the Strasburg Railroad and even took the family on a tour of a coal mine on the way to Canada one summer.
John loved singing Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and all the “greats”. He grew up in a musical household with a hi-fi stereo and enjoyed all kind of music from old Italian classics to a more recent enjoyment of Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen. He enjoyed going to shows on Broadway or Atlantic City and had many great stories leading to a great table. When home, Hogan’s Heroes, the Three Stooges and Friends kept him laughing.
John especially loved visiting with his grandchildren, watching their activities and sharing a meal. They brought him great joy and he was loved by all.
John was a loving, funny and kind husband, father, grandfather, uncle and friend. We will miss him and will hold him in our hearts forever.
Please join us at Holy Angels Church, Possum Park Road, Newark, Delaware on Monday, November 25.
Visitation begins at 10:00 am, with Mass of Christian Burial to follow at 11:00 am. Interment will be in All Saints Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to:
Greater Newark (Delaware) Boys & Girls Club, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the charity of your choice.
The family wishes to thank John’s healthcare providers especially Dr. Andrew Myers, Dr. Evan Lapinsky, and the amazing staff on 6A at Christiana Hospital.