Caesar A. Carrino

Caesar Augustus Carrino (born Cesare Augusto Carrino) passed away peacefully at age 93 with his family by his side. Caesar was born in 1931 at his home in Wadsworth, Ohio, and resided his entire life within 1000 feet of his birthplace, with the exception of the four years he was in college and his two years in the Army.
Caesar's early life was one of hardship. He lived his entire childhood during the Great Depression and his teen years in World War II. He spoke only Italian until he started school at Wadsworth Centralized (later renamed Isham Memorial). He credits his early experiences as giving him the resilience to withstand failure and giving him a goal and a hope throughout his life to achieve, always feeling that he had more to give.
He graduated from Wadsworth High School in 1948, and then from Baldwin-Wallace College in 1952 with a major in elementary education. After college, he was drafted into the Army and served his time at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland, working as a chaplain's assistant, where he developed his lifelong practice of daily Mass attendance. He believed that his deep faith guided his path to whatever success he enjoyed.
After his discharge from the Army in 1954, he was hired by the Norton City School District, where he soon became principal of Sherman Elementary and Grill Elementary. He earned a master's degree from the University of Akron, and then a Ph.D. from Western Reserve University (now Case Western Reserve) in 1965. Soon afterward he began teaching at the University of Akron, where he worked for 22 years in a variety of roles including Assistant Dean of the College of Education, Dean of the Evening College and Summer Sessions, and Special Assistant to the President.
He retired from the University of Akron in 1989, but although he was good at so many things, he was terrible at retirement. His long list of post-retirement employers included Sacred Heart School, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, Holy Family School, Walsh College, and Sts. Peter and Paul School. He served on many boards, wrote books on local history, and hosted the cable show Wadsworth History on Film. From 1999 to 2003, he was Mayor of Wadsworth.
He was as comfortable using a backhoe as he was speaking to crowds of people. He retained a lifelong connection to the land, planting a vegetable garden every year of his life. He had an extensive workshop and took pride in making things.
His greatest love was for his family-Lynda, his wife of 61 years, his three children and their spouses, and his six grandchildren.
Caesar is preceded in death by his parents, Raffaele and Concetta, and by his three brothers Chris, Frank, and Henry. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Lynda, his three children Michael (Marji), Christine (Rajeev), and Gerard, and his grandchildren Alexander, Sophia, Gabrielle, Max, Nicholas, and Georgia.
Friends will be received 2:00pm – 8:00pm Monday, March 25, 2024 at the Hilliard-Rospert Funeral Home, 174 N. Lyman St. Wadsworth, OH. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 11:00am Tuesday, March 26, 2024 at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church, 272 Broad St., Wadsworth. Interment with Military Honors will be in Woodlawn Cemetery.
Those who wish to remember him with a donation can give to the Dr. Caesar A. Carrino Scholarship in Fine & Applied Arts at the University of Akron (), or to the Wadsworth Area Historical Society ().
Hilliard-Rospert
(330-334-1501)
www.HilliardRospert.com