Michael Leonard Angelo Caruso

Mike Caruso peacefully passed away in his sleep at 6am on Monday, October 27th in Colorado Springs, CO. He was 92 years old!

Mike was born in Orange, NJ on May 18, 1933, to Matilda (Grimes) and Michael Angelo Caruso. He was the fourth child, and his sisters- Enid, Kitty and Glorya- were delighted to have a baby brother to spoil.

Mike attended West Orange High School and graduated in 1951, where he played baseball, football, and ran track. He worked at Dale Drugs as a soda jerk while in high school.

He met Clare Dourney in high school, and they spent her entire life together, until she passed in 1990. They were married on May 11, 1957, and had five children: Michael Jr, Tish, John, Jenny and Danny.

Mike attended Upsala College and Butler University before enlisting in the US Army. He was eventually chosen for Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as an officer. He earned an BA from University of Omaha and an MA from Pepperdine University.

Mike was a career Army officer and a war veteran. His service had the family moving to a variety of interesting places, such as Germany, North Carolina, Florida, Hawaii, Japan, Kansas, and Maryland. He was stationed in Vietnam for a thirteen-month tour in 1965 as a Green Beret and an Airborne Ranger. As a Major, Mike served at McDill Air Force Base, FL with the Strike Command Special Forces, where he would go on secret missions every month. He was an instructor at the Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; and he was the Deputy Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) in Fort Meade, Maryland.

In 1988, Colonel Michael L. Caruso retired from the US Army after 31 years of service. He continued to serve at NSA as a senior (civilian) government official, until 1999.

Mike married his second wife, Janet Marie Pye, in 1991, and settled in Florida until her passing in 2020.

Mike (AKA Papa Bear, Uncle Buzzie, Poppop, or Opa) is survived by his remaining three children, ten grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, numerous nieces & nephews, and extended family members. Colonel Caruso will be laid to rest with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

Many THANKS to all of Mike’s crazy fun family & friends who kept him happy and laughing for over nine decades. He truly loved and valued you all. If you would like, please make a donation to a cancer-fighting charity of your choice in Mike’s name.

See you later Alligator … After while Crocodile