Gregory Alan Cerulo

Cerulo, Gregory Alan

died peacefully at age 69 on February 16, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his children at his side.

He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, a city he considered his spiritual home, to Eugene and Barbara Cerulo on June 28, 1954. Among his fondest reminiscences were of days spent with the neighborhood kids, his cousins, and his older brother Michael and kid sister Barbara.

He was fortunate enough to encounter two of his great loves, baseball and cooking, in early childhood, and he approached both with intellectual rigor until his last days. He believed, with his whole heart, that the Cardinals would always be there for him and that few things were as exciting as his next meal.

He was an enthusiastic alumnus of Hazelwood High School ('71), University of Missouri ('75), and University of Illinois College of Law ('79).

In both his professional and personal life, he was driven by a fierce sense of fairness that could ignite empathy and anger in equal measure. He took great pride in the legal work he did and the career he built--from passing the bar until his retirement--at the Peoria, Illinois, firm Quinn Johnston Henderson & Pretorius (and, later, Cerulo), his 43 years of sobriety, his enduring love for and commitment to his wife Barbara through heart-wrenching trials, his role as a father and ability to provide his children with every opportunity, and each sweet, smart, or savvy thing his grandchildren said or did.

He is survived by his wife of 46 years Barbara Cerulo, his brother Michael Cerulo, his children and their spouses, Erica Cerulo and Thomas Hauner, Rob and Sarah Cerulo, and Ed and Kaitlin Cerulo, and his beloved grandchildren Sloane and Theo Cerulo. He was preceded in death by his sister Barbara Tomaselli.

A memorial will be held at a later date in St. Louis, Missouri, when the Cardinals are playing at home. In honor of his memory, donations can be made to Equal Justice Initiative and Special Olympics North Carolina.