Charles G Pasqualina

1932 - 2016
Charles "Charlie" Pasqualina, devout Roman Catholic and treasured husband, father, grandfather, and brother, passed away peacefully in Roslyn, New York on July 23, 2016, following a fearless battle with colon cancer. He was the founder and director of the Roslyn School of Painting, where he taught drawing and oil painting to countless students and practiced his own craft as a portrait painter.

Charlie was born in 1932 in Flushing, NY. From ages 11 to 21, he received intensive training from the master portrait painter Giuseppe Trotta, who profoundly shaped Charlie's personal and artistic development. While attending the School of Visual Arts, Charlie worked as an illustrator's apprentice at Fredman-Chaite Studios and then at Charles E. Cooper Studios. At age 20, he enlisted in the Air Force in anticipation of the Korean War. He was first stationed at Sampson Air Force Base in Buffalo, NY and then on Governors Island, where he worked in a communications unit that constructed scale models of military bases. Charlie completed his tour of duty at age 24 but continued working for the government in the U.S. Naval Training Devices Center in Sands Point, where he first met his dear friend and colleague, Dick Tyson, a master watercolorist.

After working as an illustrator in Detroit for several years, Charlie opened the Roslyn School of Painting in 1960. He relocated the school to its current location in 1973. Charlie and his wife, Lydia, built both a business and a family in the new studio space. Charlie expanded the space to include a residence, in which he completed much of the interior design and construction. Over fifty-six years, he shared his incomparable talent as an artist and teacher with an impossibly wide array of students, many of whom would go on to become internationally recognized easel painters, graphic designers, and illustrators. Earlier this summer, John Durkin, Mayor of Roslyn Village, declared June 21 "Charles G. Pasqualina Day" in recognition of his unparalleled service to the community.

Charlie's skills were wide-ranging, including model airplane construction, computer programming, and woodwork. He was a passionate Catholic; his talent as a painter and teacher was matched only by his theological fervor. Charlie was a father to far more than his three children: countless mentees-and just as many cats-benefitted from his singular energy and wisdom. His passions included attending air shows, talking politics, and eating oysters. Family, friends, and students enjoyed his corny jokes; his penchant for conversation; his resolute faith; and his inimitable moustache. He is survived by his wife, Lydia; his children, Raphaela, Michele, and Stephen; his brothers, Robert and Russel; his son-in-law, Anthony; his grandchildren, Christopher, Anabella, and Luca; and his loyal cat, Crispin.

Reposing, 6 to 9 pm Sunday, July 31 and Monday, August 1 at Fairchild Sons Funeral Chapel, Manhasset. Celebration of the Liturgy of the Christian Burial, 11 am Tuesday, August 2, St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Roslyn. Interment, Roslyn Cemetery, Northern Blvd. A small private reception at the Roslyn School of Painting to follow.