Charley CARI

6 SEP 1931 - 19 FEB 2021

• BIRTH: 6 SEP 1931, Southington, Hartford, Connecticut
• DEATH: 19 FEB 2021, Niantic, New London, Connecticut

• MARRIAGE: 1957, Connecticut, USA

INDEX

[N27773] Charlie Cari
Sept. 6, 1931 - Feb. 19, 2021

SOUTH BEND, IN - Charlie passed away peacefully on February 19 at his home in Niantic, CT surrounded by family. Charlie is survived by his wife of 63 years, Ann Cari, his son, Steven Cari, his daughter, Kim (Cari) Jarck and husband Tom, and his four grandchildren, Austin, Carlie, Natalie, and Carter. Charlie was preceded in death by his two sisters, Louise LaMontagne and Annamae Rotondo. Charlie was born in Southington, CT on September 6, 1931 as Francis Thomas Cari, to Carmela and Charles Cari. He later changed his first name to Charles but he was always known to everyone as Charlie. He served in the United States Army as a paratrooper stationed at Fort Bragg and served during peacetime. He went to school at UCONN on a GI scholarship. He was an active member of the Sigma Chi Alpha fraternity and maintained those friendships for life. He graduated with a degree in Business. But the most notable event of Charlie's life also happened there. He met the love of his life, Ann, while attending the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT. Charlie and Ann were married in 1957. He went to work for the BF Goodrich Co. in sales. They moved from Waterbury, CT to the Chicago area (Mt. Prospect, IL) for work in 1960. It wasn't easy as they both had big families in CT. Charlie was never afraid to try new things, and while he was in Chicago for that decade he became an expert SCUBA diver, becoming an instructor at the YMCA and even assisting the Police on investigations that required divers. He also learned how to sail and further improved his carpentry skills. They became season ticket holders to Northwestern University football in Evanston, IL. There really wasn't anything he didn't try and very few things he wasn't good at. In 1967 they adopted Steven and then Kim in 1968. It had been their dream to raise a family. They finally settled in the South Bend/Elkhart, Indiana area in 1970. Ann and Charlie lived all over the area over the next 50 years - Mishawaka, IN (Windingbrook), Granger, IN (Knollwood), and Elkhart, IN (Lake Simonton). Charlie worked for LaSalle Deitch (today known as LaSalle-Bristol) as an executive and leader for 30 years, until he retired in 1999. A season ticket holder for Notre Dame Football for 47 years, Charlie's passion for football, Notre Dame, and tailgating was never wavering. He even was an Usher for several years and a season ticket holder for ND basketball. If he wasn't at Notre Dame to watch sports he was there to watch his children play youth hockey. He coached youth football for their church, St. Pius X and coached youth baseball. He was a devoted Catholic. They spent the winters in Boca Raton, Florida until finally relocating back to their home state of Connecticut in 2019 permanently. Charlie played a lot of golf during his retirement years and enjoyed spending time with his family. The family would also like to thank everyone who has reached out with condolences and the folks at the Masonic Home Health of Connecticut for the care and guidance. A small family gathering was held on February 21, 2021 at the Thomas Neilan & Sons Funeral Home in New London, CT. The family is going to hold a celebration of Charlie's life later this summer where friends and family can gather to celebrate. More information will be provided as we make arrangements. Please visit www.neilanfuneralhome to leave the family an online condolence.

Published in South Bend Tribune on Feb. 24, 2021.