Michael Guy Caruso

In addition to his parents, Ralph Caruso and Mary Russo Caruso, Mike was preceded in death by his wife, Nancy Moore Caruso, and his youngest son, John James Caruso.

Surviving Michael are two of his children, Michael Ralph Caruso of Winson-Salem, NC, and Gina Maria Caruso of Monument, CO, his two grandchildren AJ Caruso of Asheville, NC, and Oriel Caruso-Thompson of Monument, CO, and his sister Domenica (Mamie) O’Brien of Gloversville, NY.

He will be honored on Monday, January 5, 2026, at 10 a.m. at the chapel at Pennybyrn at Maryfield in High Point, NC. A private inurnment will be held in the Mausoleum at Guilford Memorial Park Cemetery.

A few words about our dad.:

I always think of my dad as an artist trapped in a scientist’s life. He was quite the Renaissance Man, enjoying many passions and hobbies. An avid RC modeler, he built airplanes from kits, and then, with great excitement, took them to an empty field to fly them. In his 40s he took up sailing with an equal passion and loved to race his sailboat on weekends with the Oak Hollow Yacht Club in High Point. And of course, as even casual acquaintances knew, he was a very talented oil painter. He painted 100s of pieces, many of which are hanging proudly in the homes of his children.

But perhaps his greatest passion was the opera. He studied voice in Rome, Italy, while earning his doctorate in chemistry at the University of Rome. While we rarely heard him talk about his chemistry career at Ciba-Geigy, opera was a constant presence in our home while we were growing up. He was a proud tenor, never shy about performing. He met his wife Nancy, our mother, in a musical theater group in Boston and they often performed alongside one another in leading roles. Later, they joined the operatic choir in both the Greensboro Opera Company and the Winston-Salem Opera.

On a more basic level, my father was Italian. The son of Italian immigrants, he grew up among a community of Italian immigrant families in Gloversville, NY. Bringing him good cannoli or an authentic Italian dinner always put a big smile on his face. His first language was Italian, and so, I’m told, were his last words. He lived a long, good life. May he rest in peace.