Michael L. Autorino Jr.

Michael L. Autorino Jr. from Verona, N.J., passed away on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013 at St. Barnabas Medical Center, with his wife and cousins at his side. Family and friends are invited on Thursday, Nov. 7, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. to the Caggiano Memorial Home, 62 Grove St., Montclair, N.J. A Funeral Mass will be offered on Friday, Nov. 8, at 10 a.m. at St. Aloysius Church, 219 Bloomfield Ave., Caldwell, N.J. Interment will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover, N.J. Visit caggianomemorial.com. Michael was born in Mountainside Hospital (maternity wing in Glen Ridge, N.J.), the son of Michael Autorino Sr. of Montclair and Olga Boratto Autorino of Union City, N.J. He attended Montclair schools, graduated from Montclair High School, received his B.A. from Montclair State College and taught technology - TV production, wood, metal, plastics, electronics, mechanical drawing and set construction in Montclair for 43 years. He gained his master's degree at William Paterson College and then did additional course work in administration at Montclair State. Michael was the beloved husband of 50 years of Marianne (Elkovich), with many cousins, nieces, nephews. He loved to entertain and was serious about staying fit with regular workouts - upper and lower body and cardio. Mike had a way of solving any problem that came his way. He could build, design and make anything. A confirmed, ardent and successful "do it yourself"- er, there was no task too big or too small for him to master. He restored his first new car, a 1966 Oldsmobile 442, to pristine condition. He was working on his van and his 1956 Oldsmobile that he had when dating Marianne. Mike loved trains so he created special camera mounts for unique film footage of steam engines - before present day special effects. His spectacular Christmas train display brought joy and wonder to friends and family. He produced several industrial films for railroads and was the recipient of a Gold Camera Award and The Technical Film of the Year Award. His beautiful and graceful videography gave many brides and their families the chance to re-enjoy their "special" day. Bar and Bat Mitzvah families could recapture the joy and excitement of this important event in their lives. He designed and built several moveable video camera devices with monitors and lights so he could provide this attention to detail. At Glenfield Middle School, he built a TV studio in his classroom where each school day began with a live TV program produced by his middle school students. They were the talent, the camera operators, editors, sound specialist and off-screen announcers; it was live TV called Glenfield PrimeTime. Michael's passing leaves a large gap in the many lives he has touched in his own unique way.